IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


1.1 


11.25 


u«  1^   |2.2 

Ml  136    warn 

Hi    Ui 

•"   —    j2.0 


■  4.0 


■UUk 

1.4  mil  1.6 


-    6" 


PhotDgraphic 

Sdences 

Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14S80 

(716)  872-4903 


I/. 


^ 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  MIcroreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notbs  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


Thei 
toth 


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reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below. 


0 


D 


D 


D 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 


I      I    Covers  damaged/ 


Couverture  endommag^e 

Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couvarture  restaurde  et/ou  peliicuide 

Cover  title  missing/ 

Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 


I      I   Coloured  maps/ 


Cartes  giographiques  en  couleur 


□    Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 

I      I   Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 


Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 

Bound  with  other  material/ 
ReliA  avec  d'autres  documents 


Fyl   Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 


along  interior  margin/ 

La  re  liure  serrde  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 

distortion  le  long  de  la  marge  int^rieure 

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une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
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sont  indiquds  ci-dessous. 

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obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
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obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


The 
poss 
ofth 
filmi 


Origi 
begii 
the  I 
sion, 
othe 
first 
sion, 
or  illi 


The  I 
shall 
TIIMl 
whic 

Map! 
diffe 
entir 
begii 
right 
requ 
metl 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  filmd  au  taux  de  reduction  indiquA  ci-dessous. 

10X  14X  18X  22X 


26X 


30X 


V 


12X 


16X 


20X 


24X 


28X 


32X 


e 

6tail8 
18  du 
nodifier 
ir  une 
ilmage 


as 


errata 
Ito 


B  pelure, 
on  d 


n 


32X 


The  copy  filmed  here  has  been  reproduced  thanks 
to  the  generosity  of: 

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Social  Sciences  Department 

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sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  — »•  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 

Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc..  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


1 

2 

3 

L'exemplaire  film6  fut  reproduit  grdce  d  la 
g6n6rosit6  de: 

Metropolitan  Toronto  Library 
Social  Sciences  Department 

Les  images  suivantes  ont  6t6  reproduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  et 
de  la  nettetd  de  l'exemplaire  film6.  et  en 
conformity  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 

Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprimde  sont  filmfo  en  commenpant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  selon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  filmfo  en  commenqant  par  la 
premidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
dernidre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbole  —^  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN". 

Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  dtre 
fiimds  d  des  taux  de  reduction  diff6rents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  dtre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clichd,  il  est  fiimd  d  partir 
de  I'angle  supdrieur  gauche,  de  gauche  d  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  !e  nombre 
d'images  ndcessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  m^thode. 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

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TORONTO  PUBUC  UBRARIES 


REPEHENCE  LimARY 


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i  . 


Maurice  S.  Baldwin,  D»D. 


;^       Bishop  of  Huron 


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FI^EMfCHS  H.  REVELL  CdMPANY 

CHICAGO  .  .  .  NEW  YORK  .  .  .  TORONTO 


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TORONTO  PUBUC  UBRARIES 

REFERENCE  LIBRARY 


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uaoBs 


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LIFE    IN    A    LOOK. 


BV 


MAURICE    S.    BALDWIN, 

Dmm  0f  MmtrmL 


FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 
Ohioago  New  York  Toronto 

Pttblte/iers  0/  IiM<mQtliAaX  Literature 


U  1C2.SG 


MAR 
26 

1959 


''y\ 


"V 


CONTENTS. 


-M^ 


CHAPTER  1. 
The  Necessity  of  the  New  Birth 


tMW 

•       .      7 


CHAPTER  II. 
The  Nature  of  the  New  Birth 


•   ao 


CHAPTER  in. 

Regeneration  in  its  Connection  with  Christ 
ON  the  Cross 53 

CONCLUSION  : 
*  Looking  unto  Jesus  ; "  or,  Growth  in  Grace     85 


CHAPTER   I. 


THE  NECESSITY  OF  THE  NEW  B II*  TIT, 


IIiAR  Reader,  am  1  wrong  in  supposing 
you  wish  to  know  HOW  TO  BE  SAVED  ? 
If  I  am,  and  you  really  care  nothing 
for  the  subject,  please,  nevertheless,  read  on.  In 
these  pages  you  will  find  nothing  but  that  which 
really  concerns  YOURSELF  ;  and  that  which 
concerns  ourselves  demands  at  least  our  careful 
attention.  If,  on  the  contrary,  you  really  wish 
for  this  knowledge,  then  the  very  first  truth  you 
have  to  learn  is:  THE  VITAL  NECESSITY  OF 
THE  NEW  BIRTH.  This  was  the  first  doctrine 
our  blessed  Lord  taught  Nicodemus,  and  this  is 
the  first,  I  am  sure,  He  would  have  me  teach 
YOU. 

In  the  third  chapter  of  St.  John's  Gospel  we 
read  that  Nicodemus,  a  learned  ruler  of  the 
Jews,  came  to  Jesus  by  night,  apparently  to  in- 
quire of  Him  the  way  of  salvation.     ** Rabbif' 


8 


LIFE  IN  A  LOOK. 


said  Nicodemus,  ^*we  know  that  Thou  art  a 
teacher  come  frofn  God :  for  no  man  can  do  these 
miracles  that  Thou  doesty  except  God  he  tvith  him" 
There  is  much  to  admire  in  Nicodemus.  He 
evidently  had  far  juster  views  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
than  many  of  his  own  nation.  The  Pharisees 
used  to  say  of  Chri«^t :  "  He  casteth  out  devils  by 
Beelzebub  the  chief  of  tfie  devils!'  Others  were 
heard  to  say  :  "  He  deceiveth  the  peopled  But 
Nicodemus  uttered  no  such  blasphemy ;  on  the 
contrary,  he  thought  the  blessed  Saviour  was  a 
true  Prophet  He  ccmes  to  Him  and  says : 
Rabbi,  we  know  that  Thou  art  a  TEACHER 
COME  FROM  God.  It  was  a  great  truth  to 
know,  even  though  he  knew  no  more  than  this, 
for  certainly  Christ  was  a  teacher  and  much 
more  than  a  teacher  ;  He  was  what  no  prophet 
ever  was — not  even  such  men  as  Isaiah  or  Daniel 
— THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  WORLD.  Thousands  in 
our  day  go  as  far  as  this,  and  here  halt.  Jews 
who  reject  Christ  as  their  Redeemer,  but  y<*t 
in  some  sense  consider  Him  a  great  Reformer  ; 
sceptics  who  would  subvert,  if  possible,  half  the 
Bible ;  professing  Christians,  ignorant  of  the 
life  that  is  in  Christ — all  may  be  heard  to-day 
addressing  the  Lord  Jesus  in  the  exact  words  of 
Nicodemus :  Rabbi,  we  know  Thou  art  a  teacher 


THE  NECESSITY  OF  THE  NEW  BIRTH. 


m  art  a 

do  these 
ith  him." 
lus.     He 
►rd  Jesus 
'harisees 
devils  by 
srs  were 
er     But 
;  on  the 
r  was  a 
d   says  : 
EACHER 
ruth   to 
an  this, 
i   much 
prophet 
'  Daniel 
ands  in 
fews 
but  y<»t 
former ; 
lalf  the 
of   the 

to-day 
ords  of 

teacher 


come  from  God.  Nothing  more ;  not  exclu- 
sively THE  Teacher,  but  simply  one  of  the  many 
teachers  come  from  God  to  enlighten  and  to 
bless  the  world.  What  Nicodemus  had  to  learn 
—what  thousands  of  professing  Christians  need 
to  know  ;  what  indeed  the  whole  world  shall  yet 
be  made  to  see — is,  that  Christ  is  more  than  a 
teacher  come  from  God ;  He  is  THE  RESURREC- 
TION AND  THE  LiFR  Eternal  life  dwells  IN 
Him,  "for  as  the  Father  hath  life  in  Himself 
so  hath  He  given  to  the  Son  to  have  life  in 
Himself."  Therefore,  until  we  know  Christ  as 
our  LIFE,  we  know  Him  not.  "  He  that  hath 
the  Son  hath  LIFE,  and  He  that  hath  not  the 
Son  of  God  hath  NOT  life."  To  this  bear  ail 
the  prophets  v/itness  ;  to  tiiis  our  Lord  Himself 
and  His  Apostles  unite  their  testimony,  "  That 
God  hath  given  to  us  eternal  life,  and  this  life  is 
in  His  Son." 

And  now,  I  will  ask  you  carefully  to  weigh 
our  Lord's  answer  to  Nicodemus.  It  was  one 
in  every  way  momentous,  and  as  such  should 
seriously  be  considered.  Its  striking  peculiarity 
is,  that  it  seems  to  have  no  apparent  connection 
with  the  words  of  Nicodemus ;  and  yet,  doubt- 
less, it  was  the  exact  answer  he  needed — the 
one  best  suited  to  His  spiritual  wants.     "/  am 


lO 


LIFE  IN  A  LOOK. 


He"  saith  Christ,  ''that  searcJieth  the  /tearts;** 
and  assuredly  in  this  instance  he  did  so,  for, 
looking  deep  down  into  the  heart  of  Nicodemus, 
he  instantly  saw  what  the  wants  of  his  soul  were, 
and  these  he  immediately  meets.  The  learned 
Jew  had  begun  the  interview  by  saying :  "  Rabbi, 
we  know  that  Thou  art  a  teacher  come  from 
God."  This  remark  the  Saviour  passes  by,  and, 
addressing  Himself  to  the  great  truth  of  which 
Nicodemus  was  most  profoundly  ignorant — 
namely,  his  need  of  a  new  birth — He  utters 
these  memorable  words :  "  Verily,  verily  I 
say  unto  thee,  except  a  man  be  born 
again,  he  cannot  see  thp!  kingdom  of 
God." 

These  words  of  the  Lord  Jesus  are  as  directly 
addressed  to  you^  dear  reader,  as  they  were  to 
Nicodemus  ;  that  is,  if  you  have  not  yet  ex- 
perienced this  new  birth  of  which  Christ  speaks. 
Therefore,  seeing  they  are  for  your  everlasting 
life,  and  that  the  speaker  is  none  other  than 
Jt'ius  Christ  Himself,  I  implore  you  both  ear- 
nestly and  prayerfully  to  weigh  them. 

Observe,  first  Christ  goes  to  the  very  root  of 
things.  He  says  spiritual  life  begins  with 
spiritual  BIRTH. 

Men  see  physical  activity  all  about  them,  and 


; 


THE  NECESSITY  OF  THE  NEW  BIRTH.     II 


so,  for, 
>demus, 
il  were, 
learned 
'  Rabbi, 
le  from 
)y,  and, 
f  which 
Grant — 
:  utters 
2RILY  I 
;  BORN 
>OM    OF 

directly 
were  to 
yet  ex- 
speaks, 
irlasting 
er  than 
)th  ear- 

root  of 
IS   with 

em,  and 


they  know  that  in  each  case  this  activity  had  its 
origin  in  the  birth  of  those  who  are  now  so  in- 
cessantly engaged.  There  was  first  birth,  then 
development,  then  manhood,  and  with  manhood 
ceaseless  industry  of  mind  and  body.  In  spiritual 
matters,  however,  thousands  who  admit  to  the 
full  all  the  above,  will  persist  in  reversing  this 
well  known  law  ;  for  the  idea  to  which  they 
most  tenaciously  cling  is,  that  if  they  can  only 
DO  those  things  which  are  pleasing  in  God's 
sight,  that  then  God  will  grant  them  life.  In 
spiritual  matters,  as  in  physical,  life  is  first, 
activity  afterwards. 

You  meet  a  man  anxiously  pressing  toward 
the  cemetery,  and,  stopping  him,  ask  the  cause. 
"I  have  just  obtained,"  he  says,  "a  large  con- 
tract, and  want  men  to  enable  me  to  fulfil  it." 
"  But  why  go,  of  all  places,  to  the  cemetery  ?  " 
you  again  ask — "none  there  but  the  dead." 
"The  very  reason  why  I  do  go,"  he  replies — 
"  unemployed  hands  there,  sir !  unemployed 
hands !  I  have  something  for  them  to  do." 
"The  man's  mad,"  you  say,  and  turn  away, 
feeling  melancholy  at  the  shipwreck  of  his  in- 
tellect No  doubt  he  is,  but  not  more  so,  in  a 
spiritual  sense,  than  he  who  addresses  a  whole 
congregation  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins,  as  if 


12 


LIFE  IN  A  LOOK. 


they  were  all  living  members  of  Jesus  Christ, 
and,  taking  all  the  precepts  of  the  Christian  life, 
asks  those  who  have  not  yet  begun  to  BREATHE, 
to  carry  them  out  in  their  daily  lives.  How 
often,  for  instance,  do  we  hear  this  text  given 
out :  **  So  run  that  ye  may  obtain"  and  then  the 
glorious  and  completed  salvation  of  the  Son  of 
God  is  described  as  a  race  in  which  the  swiftest 
runner  alone  obtains  eternal  life.  The  congre- 
gations, largely  composed  of  people  absolutely 
dead  before  God,  are  then  exhorted  by  all  means 
to  run  this  race,  and  by  all  means  to  obtain  this 
life.  It  is  just  this  outrageous  perversion  of  the 
Word  of  God  which  utterly  misleads  thousands ; 
it  bolsters  them  up  with  the  false  idea  that  they 
are  the  children  of  God,  when  they  are  not ;  it 
is  a  going  to  the  DEAD  to  give  them  employ- 
ment ;  an  assigning  labour  to  those  whom  the 
Resurrection  and  the  Life  has  not  yet  raised 
into  being,  and  the  result  is  utter  and  hopeless 
failure.  Spiritual  life  only  begins  with  spiritual 
oirth,  and  as  those  to  whom  I  allude  have  not 
been  born  of  the  Spirit,  they  can  no  more  fulfil 
the  precepts  of  the  Christian  life  than  you,  dear 
reader,  can  fly  with  the  eagle,  or  race  with  the 
lightning  of  heaven. 

Secondly  :  These  words  of  Christ  clearly  prove 


THE   NECESSITY   OF   THE   NLW   BIRTH.      1 3 


Christ, 
Ein  life, 
:athe, 
How 
given 
en  the 
Son  of 
wiftest 
ongre- 
Dlutely 
means 
in  this 
of  the 
sands ; 
Lt  they 
lot;  it 
nploy- 
m  the 
raised 
)peless 
>iritual 
ve  not 
e  fulfil 
1,  dear 
th  the 

prove 


the     UTTER     HELPLESSNESS     OF     ALL     HUMAN 

EFFORT  and  the  absolute  sovereignty  of 
God. 

One  thing  may  safely  be  said  of  Nicodemus, 
and  that  is,  he  was  thoroughly  in  earnest.  There 
was  therefore  nothing  within  the  range  of  human 
possibility  he  would  not  gladly  have  done  at  the 
suggestion  of  our  Lord.  Had  Christ  told  him 
his  sorrow  for  his  past  sins  was  not  deep  enough, 
he  would  have  humbled  himself  in  the  pro- 
foundest  abjections  ;  had  Christ  commanded  his 
immediate  surrender  of  all  his  goods  to  feed  the 
poor,  doubtless  he  would  have  hasted  to  obey ; 
but  our  Lord  says  none  of  these  things.  He 
gives  him,  in  fact,  NOTHING  TO  do  ;  nothing  to 
please  his  vanity,  or  stimulate  his  self-conceit. 
He  prescribes  no  fasts,  no  tears,  no  human 
effort ;  only  utters  these  words — so  dark  and 
inexplicable  to  the  mind  of  Nicodemus — "  Ex- 
cept a  man  be  born  again,  he  cannot  see  the 
kingdom  of  God''  Now,  as  long  as  a  man 
thinks  there  is  something  by  the  doing  of  which 
he  can  procure  his  salvation — no  matter  what 
that  something  may  be — he  will  never  despair, 
If  he  fail  in  his  effort  to-day,  he  will  only  try 
the  more  to-morrow  ;  but  when  at  last  the  con- 
viction is  forced  upon  him  that  he  is  absolutely 


i: 


'4 


LIFE  IN   A  LOOK. 


J 


I  I 


DEPENDENT  on  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  that  he 
must  be  BORN  AGAIN,  he  sees,  for  the  first  time, 
that  God  requires  something  utterly  beyond 
his  power.  Now  a  man  may  make  the  most 
costly  sacrifices,  he  may  even  go  as  far  as  laying 
down  his  life  in  the  fond  hope  of  pleasing  God 
thereby ;  but  there  is  one  thing  he  can  not  do, 
and  that  is,  effect  his  own  new  birth.  Yet  our 
Lord  say-  positively,  "Except  a  man  be  born 
again,  he  CANNOT  SEE  the  kingdom  of  God." 
It  follows,  therefore,  that  the  unsaved  sinner  is 
thrown  back  on  the  absolute  sovereignty  of  God. 
Effort  in  any  direction  on  his  part  is  utterly  im- 
possible. This  only  can  he  do  : — as  speechless, 
lay  his  hand  upon  his  mouth  ;  as  humbled,  bend 
down  his  face  to  the  dust ;  and  thus,  in  silence, 
listen  while  GOD  SPEAKS. 

But  many  people  object  to  this,  and  say: 
Does  not  St  Paul  command,  "  Work  out  your 
own  salvation  with  fear  and  trembling "  ?  and 
does  not  this  precept  of  his  teach  us  that  salva- 
tion is  the  result  of  a  life-long  struggle  ?  By  no 
means.  To  whom  did  the  Apostle  utter  this 
command  ?  Was  it  to  the  Court  of  Nero  ? — to 
the  gladiators  of  the  circus  ? — to  men  dead  in 
trespasses  and  sins  ?  No,  it  was  to  the  Philip- 
pian  Christians — to  men  and  women  rejoicing  in 


THE  NECESSITY  OF  THE  NEW  BIRTH.     1 5 


the  truth.     His  very  letter  is  thus  addressed  : 
"  To  all  the  Saints  in  Christ  Jesus  which  are  at 
Philippi."     Now,  no  man  can  be  a  saint  while 
the  wrath  of  God  abides  on  him,  and  the  wrath 
of  God  abides  on  all  who  are  not  *' justified  by 
faith : "  it  abides,  in  other  words,  on  all  who  are 
unsaved ;  but  the  Philippians  were  saints,  they 
were  therefore  "justified  by  faith"  and  as  such 
were  saved — were   BORN   AGAIN.     What   then 
does  the  Apostle  mean  when  he  says,  "  Work 
out  your  own    salvation  with  fear  and  trem- 
bling f^'     In  explanation  of  this,  two  facts  have 
to  be  borne  in  mind  :  first, — While  all  the  justi- 
fied will  be  savedy  they  will  not  all   receive  a 
crown ;  many  of  them  will  be  saved  "so  as  by 
fire;"  and,  secondly,  Salvation  from  wrath  is 
only  part   of    our    redemption.      Redemption 
really  implies  life  in  union  with  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  liberation  from  the  servitude  of  sin,  and 
victory  over  Satan  and  the  world.     By  the  ex- 
pression, "  Work  out  your  own  salvation,"  the 
Apostle  means  the  salvation  you  have  already 
received — not  the  salvation  you  are  to  obtain — 
and  we  are  to  do  so  "  with  fear  and  trembling," 
lest  we  should  dishonour  our  Lord,  and  LOSE 
the  recompense  of  the  reward. 
This  idea  is  well  expressed  by  the  Church  of 


i6 


LIFE  IN  A  LOOK. 


England  in  her  loth  Article :  "  Wherefore  we 
have  no  power  to  do  good  works,  pleasant  and 
acceptable  to  God,  without  the  grace  of  God 
by  Christ  preventing  (going  before)  us,  that  we 
may  have  a  good  will^  and  working  with  us, 
when  we  have  that  good  will." 

No,  dear  reader,  there  is  nothing  you  can  DO, 
but  as  LOST  and  iiELPLESS,  listen  to  the  words 
of  Christ. 

Thirdly:  Our  Lord's  words  teach  the  vital 
NECESSITY  of  the  new  birth. 

Whatever  opinions  we  may  hold  about  the 
new  birth,  there  is  one  point  on  which  all  must 
be  agreed,  and  that  is,  ITS  vital  necessity. 
Our  Lord  does  not  say :  Except  a  man  be  born 
again,  it  will  be  ages  of  time  before  he  enters 
the  kingdom  of  God  ;  nor,  Except  a  man  be 
born  again,  he  will  never  enjoy  the  same  degree 
of  glory  as  one  who  has ;  nor,  Except  a  man  be 
born  again  he  shall  not  enter  the  kingdom  of 
God  ;  but,  "  Except  a  man  be  born  again,  he 
cannot  SEE,"  that  is,  comprehend,  "the  king- 
dom of  God." 

You  will  therefore  see  the  absolute  necessity 
oiyour  obtaining  this  new  birth.  Whatever  its 
meaning — whatever  event  it  points  to — its  vital 
importance  is  awfully  evident.     Our  Lord  says  : 


THE  NECESSITY  OF  THE  NEW  BIRTH.     1/ 


ore  we 

nt  and 
>f  God 
hat  we 
rith  us, 

can  DO, 
words 

'^    vital 

out  the 
l11  must 
ESSITY. 
be  born 
e  enters 
man  be 
e  degree 
man  be 
jdom  of 
^ain,  he 
e  king- 

lecessity 
tever  its 
its  vital 
rd  says  : 


"  Without  it  no  man  can  even  SEE  the  kingdom 
of  God." 

Fourthly  :  Our  Lord's  words  teach  us  that  the 
birth  He  refers  to  is  a  heavenly  birth. 

Literally,  the  word  "  again  "  is  FROM  above. 
Now,  we  have  all  had  one  birth  from  beneath, 
that  is,  our  natural  physical  birth,  when  we 
came  into  the  world  ;  but  Christ  says  this  first 
physical  birth  is  not  enough  ;  we  need  another 
— one  from  above.  When  therefore  we  have 
this  birth  from  above,  we  are,  in  our  Lord's  lan- 
guage, born  of  the  Spirit ;  we  have  experienced 
this  wondrous  birth  without  which  no  man  can 
see  the  kingdom  of  God.  I  would  have  you 
also  notice  that  the  two  births,  the  physical  and 
the  spiritual,  never  occur  TOGETHER.  Man  was 
altogether  "  born  in  sins,"  with  a  "  heart  deceit- 
ful above  all  things,  and  desperately  wicked." 
Indeed  so  strongly  is  this  insisted  on  by  the 
inspired  writers,  that  St.  Paul  tells  us,  in  the  8th 
chapter  of  Romans  :  "  TJie  mind  of  the  flesh  (the 
carnal  mind  in  our  version)  is  ENMITY  AGAINST 
God."  It  is  not  merely  at  enmity,  but  the  very 
principle — enmity  itself.  St.  Paul  further  r.ffirms 
two  other  truths  of  this  natural  heart  of  ours  : 
firsts  "  that  it  is  not  subject  to  the  law  of  God," 
and  secondy  "  neither  indeed  CAN  be."     It  is  not 

n 


i8 


LIFE  IN  A  LOOK. 


I! 


1^  ) 


subject  to  the  law  of  God  either  in  the  regen- 
erate or  unregenerate,  and  this  impossibility  to 
be  subject  to  God's  law  comes  from  the  very 
nature  of  its  own  being — a  nature  which  is 
always  in  a  state  of  irreconcilable  hostility  to 
God. 

Born  therefore  with  such  a  heart  as  this,  you 
need,  dear  reader,  to  be  BORN  AGAIN  ;  and  it 
must  be  apparent  to  you  that  no  one  receives 
the  two  births,  that  is,  the  physical  and  the 
spiritual,  at  one  and  the  same  time ;  for  then 
our  spiritual  birth  could  no  more  be  a  matter  of 
injunction  or  command  than  our  physical ;  we 
would  all  be  regenerated  people  from  our  very 
entrance  into  the  world,  and  no  one  would  need 
to  be  saved,  for  all  would  be  saved  already. 

In  connection  with  this  subject,  I  wish  to 
draw  your  attention  to  an  expression,  very 
common  among  people,  but,  at  the  same  time, 
one  thoroughly  unscriptural.  I  refer  to  the  oft- 
used  phrase,  "a  ciiange  of  heart."  Now  such  an 
expression  as  this  does  not  occur  in  the  whole 
range  of  Scripture.  We  find  in  Daniel  that  a 
watcher  said,  concerning  Nebuchadnezzar :  "Z^/ 
his  heart  bf  changed  from  man's  and  let  a  beast's 
heart  be  given  unto  him  ;  "  but  from  Genesis  to 
Revelation  there  is   no  passage  which  teaches 


THE  NECESSITY  OF  THE  NEW  BIRTH.      ly 


*hat  God  CHANGES  the  natural  evil  '  .rt  into  a 
GOOD  HEART.  We  find  such  expressions  as  a 
"new  heart,"  "another  heart,"  a  "new  spirit," 
but  never  a  changed  heart.  The  truth  is,  God 
never  mends,  renews,  or  changes  the  natural 
heart.  What  He  says,  is — "  A  NEW  heart  also 
will  I  give  you,  and  a  NEW  spirit  will  I  put 
within  you."  Our  Lord,  therefore,  in  speaking 
to  Nicodemus,  did  not  say  :  Except  a  man's 
heart  be  renewed  or  changed,  he  shall  not  see 
the  kingdom  of  God,  but — **  Except  a  man  be 
nORN  AGAIN." 


II 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE  NATURE   OF  THE  NEW  BIRTH. 

I  HE  Saviour's  words  fell  on  heavy  ears. 
Not  the  faintest  idea  of  the  truth  He 
uttered  passed  through  the  mind  of 
Nicodemus ;  for,  supposing  our  Lord  to  be 
speaking  of  a  physical  birth,  he  asks  with  as- 
tonishment :  "  How  can  a  man  be  born  when  he 
is  old  }  can  he  enter  the  second  time  into  his 
mother's  womb  and  be  born  .? "  To  this  the 
Redeemer  makes  the  memorable  reply  :  "Verily, 
verily,  I  say  unto  thee,  except  a  man  be  born  of 
WATER  and  of  THE  Spirit,  he  cannot  enter  into 
the  kingdom  of  God."  Our  first  inquiry  there- 
fore must  be  : — "  What  did  our  Lord  mean  by 
the  expression 

Born  of  Water? 

Water  occurs  in  Scripture  as  signifying  the 
perfect  washing  which  Christ  effects  in  the  soul, 
including  not  only  His  purgation  of  our  sins  by 

to 


IM 


THE  NATURE  OF  THE  NEW  BIRTH.        SI 


His  most  precious  blood,  but  also  His  cleansing 
us  from  our  own    natural   selves,   that  is,  our 
carnal  and  deceitful  hearts.    The  signification  of 
the  word   "  water "  is  not   uniform  throughout 
Scripture;  for  instance,  in  Jer.  i.    13,  water  is 
spoken  of  as  a  figure  of  God  Himself:  "  They 
have  forsaken  Me,  the  fountain  of  living  waters." 
As    descriptive    of    military  power :    "  Behold 
waters  rise  up  out  of  the  north,  and  shall  be 
an    overflowing  flood "  (Jer.  xlvii.  2).     As   em- 
blematic of  deep  and  terrible  affliction  :  "  Deep 
calleth  unto  deep  at  the  noise  of  Thy  water- 
spouts ;  all  Thy   waves  and  Thy    billows    are 
gone  over  me  "  (Ps.  xlii.  7).     Especially  of  the 
awful  sorrows  of  Christ :  "  Save  Me,  O  God  ; 
for  the  waters  are  come  in  unto  My  soul.     I  am 
come  into  deep  waters,  where  the  floods  over- 
flow Me.     Let  Me  be  delivered  from  them  tliat 
hate  Me,  and  out  of  the  deep  waters.     Let  not 
the  waterflood  overflow  Me,  neither  let  the  deep 
swallow  Me  up"  (Ps.   Ixix.  i,  2,   14,    15).     Of 
God's  judgment  on  the  sinner,  thus  Eliphaz  says 
to  Job :  "  Thou  has  sent  widows  away  empty. 
.     Therefore    snares     are    round    about 
thee,    .     .    .     and  abundance  of  wat.rs  cover 
thee"  (Job  xxii.  9,  10,  11).     Of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
thus  our  Lord  says  :  "  He  that  believeth  on  Me, 


I 


as 


LIFE  IN  A  LOOK. 


ill 


!  'I 


a .  the  Scripture  hath  said,  out  of  his  belly  shall 
flow  rivers  of  living  water.  But  this  spake  He 
of  the  Spirit,  v/hich  they  that  believe  on  Him 
should  receive  "  (John  vii.  38,  39).  It  is  men- 
tioned as  that  which  typically  cleanses.  Thus 
God  says  by  the  mouth  of  His  servant  Ezekiel : 
"Then  will  I  sprinkle  clean  water  upon  you, 
and  ye  shall  be  clean  :  from  all  your  filthiness, 
and  from  all  your  idols  will  I  cleanse  you " 
(Ezek.  xxxvi.  25)  And  in  this  sense  was  it 
so  used  in  the  brazen  laver,  and  "  water  of 
separation," — two  objects  in  the  Levitical  eco- 
nomy of  the  deepest  spiritual  import.  Leaving, 
however,  the  types  and  shadows  of  the  Law,  we 
find  the  word  "  water  "  repeatedly  occurring  in 
other  parts  of  Scripture,  as  a  striking  and  beau- 
tiful type  of  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ.  For 
instance,  in  these  words  spoken  by  Isaiah  :  "  Ho, 
every  one  that  thirsteth,  come  ye  to  the  waters, 
and  he  that  hath  no  money ;  come  ye,  buy  and 
eat ;  yea,  come,  buy  wine  and  milk  without 
money  and  without  price,"  we  have  an  invitation 
for  all  who  are  in  want  to  come  and  partake 
of  the  rich  bounty  of  the  Gospel  feast.  The 
"  waters  "  here  mentioned  are  the  blessings  of 
the  covenant  of  grace — the  unsearchable  riches 
of  Christ,  made  known  ti  us  in  that   Gospel 


i 


;    ] 


THE  NATURE  OF  THE  NEW  BIRTH.        23 


which  is  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation  to 
every  one  that  believeth.  When  our  Lord  was 
upon  earth,  men  had  ocular  demonstration  of 
His  power  ;  they  saw  for  themselves  His  as- 
tounding miraci'»s  ;  they  had  the  evidence  of 
His  actual  being  before  their  eyes  ;  and  therefore 
in  many  cases  their  faith  was  the  result  of  sight. 
Now  all  this  is  changed,  and  men  are  asked  to 
believe,  not  on  the  evidence  of  that  which  they 
see,  but  on  the  credibility  of  that  which  they 
hear.  Even  when  our  Lord  was  on  earth,  He 
asserted  the  superior  blessedness  of  that  faith 
which  arose  from  hearing,  without  actual  sight  : 
"  Thomas,"  said  He,  "  because  thou  hast  seen 
Me,  thou  hast  believed  :  blessed  are  they  that 
have  not  seen,  yet  have  believed."  Christ  is 
now  on  high,  seated  in  glory  at  the  right  hand 
of  the  Father,  but  before  He  ascended  to  so 
exalted  a  place.  He  assured  His  disciples  that  it 
was  expedient  for  them  that  He  should  go  away 
and  leave  them  ;  and  t^'e  reason  He  assigns  for 
so  great  a  change  is,  that  the  Dispensation 
which  was  immediately  to  follow  was  to  be  the 
Dispensation  of  the  Spirit.  He  was  no  longer 
visibly  to  tread  the  earth  ;  men  were  no  longer 
with  their  own  eyes  to  see  Him  raising  the 
dead,  healing  the  sick,  calming  the  sea,  feeding 


H 


LIFE  IN  A  LOOK. 


the  hungry,  or  casting  out  unclean  spir'ts  with 
His  word.     In  His  room  was  to  be  the  Holy 
Spirit,  not  working  on  the  external  organs,  but 
convincing  the  understanding  and  winning  the 
heart.     And  this  the  Spirit  does,  not  to  draw 
sinners    to   Himself,  but    to    the    Lord  Jesus 
Christ ;  for,  speaking  of  the  Spirit,  our  Lord 
says  :  "  The  Spirit  of  Truth,  which  proceedeth 
from  the   Father,  He   shall  TESTIFY  OF   Me" 
(John  XV.  26).     The  work  therefore  of  the  Com- 
forter on  earth  is  to  uplift  alike  in  the  heart  of 
the  saved  and  unsaved,  the  person,  the  work, 
and  the  kingdom  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.     He 
labours,  therefore,  to  bring  home  to  the  soul  of 
the  sinner  God's  record  concerning  His  Son  ;  to 
convince  him  of  his   unutterable  need  of  that 
salvation  which  the    Father    has    provided    in 
Christ ;   to  accept  the  eternal  gift ;    to  believe 
and   live   for  ever.      But  how   can   the   Spirit 
testify  without    a  testimony?     How    can    He 
speak  to  the  heart  of  the  sinner  unless  He  have 
a  message  from  the  Father    to  convey  to  it? 
A  testimony,  a  message,  He  must  have  ;  and 
that  testimony  and  that  message  He  has  in  the 
Bible,  the  word  of  the  eternal  God.     The  Holy 
Spirit  therefore  in  leading  a  lost  one  to  Christ, 
does  not  bring  before  his  eyes  physical  miracles; 


THE   NATURE  OF   THE   NEW   BIRTH.        2$ 


:h 


.  » 


nor  does  He  scare  him  with  dreams,  or  over- 
come his  judgment  with  appeals  to  the  sensuous 
and  emotional.  On  the  contrary,  He  speaks  to 
the  conscience  simply  and  alone  through  the 
testimony  of  God's  word.  And  man  knows  not 
how,  but  suddenly,  and  with  great  power,  a 
passage  of  Scripture  is  brought  home  to  him. 
It  is  no  new  revelation,  but  a  well  known  verse 
he  has  read  and  heard  a  thousand  times  before, 
but  it  now  comes  down  into  his  soul  with  a 
reality  and  conviction  unfelt  in  the  past.  He 
wonders  what  it  all  means  ;  it  is  the  Holy 
Ghost  applying  God's  written  word  to  his 
conscience  ;  opening  his  eyes  and  arousing  his 
mind  to  hear  the  eternal  truths  which  make  for 
everlasting  life. 

Such  then  is  the  way  in  which  the  Spirit 
acts  ;  His  message  is  the  word  of  God,  and  His 
work  is  to  apply  this  word  to  the  consciences  of 
those  who  either  read  it  themselves  or  have  it 
preached  to  them  by  others. 

Thus  we  see  clearly  the  way  in  which  people 
are  saved.  There  is  first  the  Bi!jle,  the  word  of 
God,  declaring  the  way  in  which  alone  God  will 
justify  sinners,  namely,  through  faith  in  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  and  secondly,  there  is  the 
Holy  Spirit  to   apply  that   word   with  saving 


36 


LIFE  IN  A  LOOK. 


efficacy  to  the  heart  of  man.  The  WORD  and 
the  Holy  Spirit  are  therefore  God's  two  great 
agents  in  the  salvation  of  men.  If  the  Holy 
Spirit  were  alone  on  earth  without  the  word  of 
God,  He  could  not  bear  testimony  to  the  truth 
concerning  Jesus  Christ ;  and  if,  on  the  other 
hand,  the  Bible  were  by  itself  on  earth  without 
the  presence  of  the  Spirit,  no  one  would  be 
saved, "  for  the  natural  man  (that  is,  the  unre- 
newed heart)  receiveth  not  the  things  of  the 
Spirit  of  God  :  for  they  are  FOOLISH NES.S  unto 
him ;  and  he  CANNOT  know  them,  because  they 
are  spiritually  discerned  "  (i  Cor.  ii.  14).  Such 
being  the  case,  we  might  expect  that  our  Lord 
would  declare  this  truth  in  such  a  discourse  as 
we  have  before  us,  and  this  assuredly  He  has 
done  in  these  words  :  "  Except  a  man  be  born 
of  water  and  of  the  Spirit,  he  cannot  enter  into 
the  kingdom  of  God." 

I  have  already  shown  how  many  in  Scripture 
are  the  significations  of  the  word  "  water,"  but 
I  now  wish  to  add  that  often,  when  the  Holy 
Ghost  wishes  to  describe  the  refreshing  and 
invigorating  nature  of  the  Gospel,  He  does  so 
by  picturing  it  under  the  form  of  that  well 
known  element.  For  instance,  in  Isaiah  Iv.  i, 
God  says  :  "  Ho,  every  one  that  thirsleth,  come 


li 


THE  NATURE  OF  THE  NEW  BIRTH.        27 


ye  to  the  WATERS."  Now  here  the  prophet  is 
announcing  the  glorious  Gospel,  afterwards  to 
be  revealed  in  the  coming  of  the  Lord  Jesus. 
He  describes  under  the  word  "waters"  the  un- 
speakable blessings  of  the  "  everlasting  cove- 
nant "  mentioned  in  the  third  verse,  and  this 
everlasting  covenant  is,  and  can  be  nothing  else, 
than  the  Testament  or  Gospel  of  the  grace  of 
God.  The  vision  of  the  "  holy  waters,"  issuing 
from  under  the  threshold  of  the  Temple,  was  a 
striking  and  beautiful  simile  by  which  God, 
through  Ezekiel,  foretold  the  publication  of  the 
Gospel  of  peace  (Ezek.  xlvii.  i).  So  too  the 
"  living  waters  "  of  Zechariah  xiv.  S,  point  to  the 
great  truth  that  during  the  period  of  millennial 
blessedness,  Jerusalem  is  to  be  the  spiritual 
centre  of  the  earth,  and  that  from  it  are  to  go 
forth  "  living  waters  "  for  the  salvation  of  the 
Gentile  world.  In  like  manner,  the  very  last 
invitation  we  have  in  the  Bible,  speaks  of  the 
glorious  Gospel  under  the  word  "  water : " 
"Whosoever  will,  let  him  take  the  WATER  OF 
LIFE  freely"  (Rev.  xxii.  17).  Thus  we  see 
that  one  of  the  many  uses  of  this  word  is 
to  bring  before  us  the  blessed  and  life-giving 
qualities  of  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ. 

That  this  is  the  correct  interpretation,  is  con- 


■;■  I 


28 


LIFE  IN  A  LOOK. 


firmed  to  us  by  the  fact  that  the  inspired  writers 
ascribe  regeneration  to  the  power  of  the  Gospel. 
St.  Paul,  writing  to  the  Corinthians,  says :  "  In 
Christ  Jesus  I  have  BEGOTTEN  YOU  THROUGH 
THE  gospel"  (i  Cor.  iv.  IS).  So  also  St. 
James  :  "  Of  His  own  will  begat  he  US  WITH 
THE  WORD  OF  TRUTH  "  (James  i.  1 8).  St. 
Peter's  testimony  is  also  to  the  same  effect: 
"Being  BORN  AGAIN,  not  of  corruptible  seed, 
but  of  incorruptible,  by  THE  WORD  OF  GOD 
which  liveth  and  abideth  for  ever"  (i  Peter  i. 
23).  Previously,  in  this  chapter,  the  same 
Apostle  states :  "  Blessed  be  the  God  and 
Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  which  accord- 
ing to  His  abundant  mercy  hath  BEGOTTEN  US 
AGAIN  unto  a  lively  hope  by  the  resurrection  of 
Jesus  Christ  from  the  dead."  We  are  said  to 
have  been  begotten  again  unto  a  lively  hope  by 
the  resurrection,  from  the  fact  of  its  being  the 
grand  confirmation  of  the  Gospel ;  the  sublime 
miracle  by  which  the  Gospel  was  proved  to  be 
of  God,  and  by  which  our  faith  in  it  is  triumph- 
antly and  for  ever  vindicated.  Thus  we  see 
that  the  word  of  GoJ,  applied  to  the  conscience 
by  the  Holy  Ghost,  is  the  great  and  sole  agency 
employed  by  God  for  the  regeneration  and 
salvation  of  man.     In  many  ways  that  word  may 


THE  NATURE  OF  THE  NEW  BIRTH.        29 


be  brought  before  us  ;  we  may  read  it  for  our- 
selves, or  faithful  men  may  declare  it  in  our 
ears,  but  in  whatever  way  it  reaches  us,  it  is 
only  the  entrance  of  God's  word  that  giveth  us 
light.  It  was  for  this  reason  that  St.  Paul  ex- 
claimed :  "  I  am  not  ashamed  of  the  Gospel  of 
Christ,  for  it  is  THE  POWER  OF  GOD  UNTO 
SALVATION  to  every  one  that  believeth  "  (Rom. 
i.  16). 

To  be  born  therefore  of  WATER  is  to  be  bom 
by  the  agency  of  GOD'S  WORD.  In  further 
proof  of  this  I  may  quote  our  Lord's  language 
to  His  disciples :  "  Now  ye  are  clean  through 
the  WORD  which  I  have  spoken  unto  you " 
(John  XV.  3).  Christ's  word  (as  water)  had 
cleansed  them,  so  that  by  it  He  tells  them  they 
had  been  made  pure.  St.  Paul's  teaching  is  to 
the  same  effect :  "  Husbands,  love  your  wives, 
even  as  Christ  also  loved  the  Church,  and  gave 
Himself  for  it ;  that  He  might  sanctify  and 
cleanse  it  with  the  washing  of  water  BY  THE 
WORD"  (Eph.  V.  25,  26).  In  this  passage  God's 
people  are  represented  as  being  cleansed  in  the 
word  of  truth  as  in  a  sea,  and  thus  made  ready, 
as  a  chaste  bride,  for  the  coming  of  the  Bride- 
groom. 

As  there  are  many  who  believe  that  by  thi.s 


30 


LIFE  IN  A  LOOK. 


word  "  water  "  we  are  to  understand  baptism,  I 
wish  now  to  say  on  what  grounds  I  utterly 
dissent  from  such  an  interpretation. 

First :  If  zvater  be  explained  here  as  being 
the  literal  water  of  baptisvty  all  mention  of  ttie 
Redeemer's  work  in  the  regeneration  of  man  is 
excluded  from  a  sentence  in  which  Christ  is  teach- 
ing what  is  the  VERY  NATURE  of  regeneration. 

Our  Lord  is  speaking  of  the  regeneration  of 
man  ;  He  mentions  two  ?igents,  water  and  the 
Spirit.  Of  these,  one,  the  latter,  we  know  to  be 
the  Holy  Ghost,  without  whom  man  cannot 
possibly  be  regenerated ;  the  other  is  water. 
Now,  if  this  be  interpreted  as  literal  water,  it 
would  teach  that  man  is  regenerated  by  the 
Holy  Ghost  and  the  simple  element  of  water, 
without  any  mention  of  the  work  of  Christ. 
Irreconcilable  with  this  is  the  fact  that  the  Bible 
teems  with  statements  to  the  effect  that  we  have 
LIFE  only  from  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  He 
Himself  says;  "I  am  the  Life.*'  Lc.  John 
adds :  "  He  that  hath  the  Son  hath  life,  and  he 
that  hath  not  the  Son  of  God  hath  not  life." 
For  this  reason,  as  well  as  that  already  adduced, 
namely,  that  Christians  are  directly  stated  to  be 
begotten  through  the  Gospel,  I  deem  it  wholly 
improbable  that    our    Lord    ascribes    our    re- 


THE  NATURE  OF  THE  NEW  BIRTH.        3 1 


generation  here  only  to  the  Holy  Ghost  and 
literal  water. 

Secondly  :  //  is  according  to  analogy ^  or  what 
we  know  of  other  parts  of  Scripture^  to  believe  that 
water  is  here  mentioned  as  rt  TYPE  of  something 
deeper^  and  therefore  not  to  be  taken  in  its  literal 
signification. 

In  explaining  the  words,  "  Except  a  man  be 
born  of  water,"  many  urge  that  the  word  "  water" 
must  be  understood  in  its  absolutely  literal 
sense,  and  affirm  that  no  other  interpretation  is 
reasonable.  In  reply,  I  may  say,  there  is  no 
word  of  more  varied  significance  in  the  whole 
Bible  than  this  word  "  water."  For  example,  in 
this  same  Gospel  we  have  no  less  than  three 
distinct  occurrences  of  the  word  water,  and  in 
each  place  a  totally  different  signification  is 
evidently  demanded.  The  passages  I  refer  to 
are  the  following :  Chap.  iii.  5, — the  text  in 
question  ;  Chap.  iv.  13,  14;  and  Chap.  vii.  37, 
38,  39.  Now  let  it  be  granted  for  argument's 
sake,  that  when  our  Lord  spoke  to  Nicodemus 
He  meant  literal  water,  it  follows  that  when  He 
addressed  the  woman  at  the  well  He  meant 
literal  water  also,  and  would  have  her  under- 
stand that,  instead  of  water  from  that  well,  He 
would  give  her  the  water  of  Baptism,  and  Bap- 


Sa 


LIFE  IN  A  LOOK. 


tism  would  be  in  her  a  well  of  water  springing 

up  into  everlasting  life.      Now,  no  one  seriously 

believes  such  to  be  the  true  interpretation  of 

the  passage,  as  it  is  abundantly  evident  that  our 

Lord  designed  to  impress  upon  her  mind  a  deep, 

life-giving  truth,  but  which   she,  on   her  part, 

utterly  failed  to  comprehend.      By  water,  our 

Lord  means  here  eternal  life,  and  every  other 

spiritual  blessing  which    comes  to  us  through 

Him.      The  "gift    of  God,"  says  the  Apostle 

Paul,  "  is  eternal  life  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord  " 

(Rom.  vi.  23),  and  therefore  this  living  water  is 

not  material  water,  but  eternal  life,  and  every 

other  holy  gift,  in  Jesus  Christ  our  Saviour.     If 

now  we  turn  to  the  seventh  chapter  of  St.  John, 

we  find  our  Lord  again  speaking  of  water — 

**  living  water."     Here,  however,  wc  have  positive 

inspiration  to  tell  us  what  He  meant :  "  But  this 

spake  He  of  the  Spirit,  which  they  that  believe 

on    Him   should   receive."      Thus    water    here 

means  the   Holy  Ghost;   but  it  had   not  this 

signification  in  the  third  chapter,  for  our  Lord 

would  not  say :  Except  a  man  be  born  of  the 

Spirit,  and  of  the  Spirit ;  water    there   must 

mean  something  else,  and  as  I    have   already 

dwelt  on  its  signification  in  the  fourth  chapter, 

it  follows  that  we  have  the  word  water  used  in 


t? 


THE  NATURE  OF  THE  NEW   BIRTH.        33 

three  different  meanings  in  the  third,  fourch,  and 
sevenlh  chapters  of  St.  John.  That  water  is 
thus  variously  to  be  explained,  admits  of  no 
iloubt,  and  therefore  we  may  the  more  readily 
see  its  force  in  the  passage  before  us,  as  indicat- 
ing that  great  element  by  which  God  quickens 
the  spiritually  dead,  namely.  His  word. 

Thirdly :  If  by  water  ivere  meant  Chnstian 
Baptism^  the  Old  Testament  saints  lacked  the 
main  element  in  regeneration,  for  they  were  never 
baptized. 

Baptism  is  essentially  a  New  Testament  ordi- 
nance, and  therefore  if  our  Lord  were  stating 
something  absolutely  new,  we  can  hardly  under- 
stand His  surprise  at  the  ignorance  of  Nico- 
demus.  "  Art  thou,"  He  said,  "  a  master  of 
Israel,  and  knowest  not  these  things  }  "  Nico- 
demus  may  have  seen  proselytes  baptized,  but 
neither  he  nor  his  fathers  had  ever  seen  that 
ordinance  administered  to  one  born  in  the  faith 
of  Israel.  Indeed,  if  we  insist  that  water  here 
can  only  mean  Christian  baptism,  wc  must  ex- 
clude apparently  from  regeneration,  and  there- 
fore from  salvation,  all  those  Old  Testament 
saints  whose  rest,  we  know,  is  secured  ;  all  chil- 
dren dying  unbaptized  ;  all  who  at  their  last 
moments  may  be  utterly  unable  to  obtain  bap- 

C 


34 


LIFE  IN  A  LOOK. 


i 


tism ;  even  the  very  thief  to  whom  our  Lord  on 
the  Cross  said  :  "  This  day  shalt  thou  be  with 
Me  in  Paradise,"  besides  hosts  of  others  who 
for  doctrinal  reasons  have  not  received  this  rite. 

Fourthly  :  //  Baptism  ivere  God's  great  way  of 
regenerating  tnen^  it  is  utterly  beyond  the  power 
of  any  one  to  explain  certain  passages  and  facts 
of  Scripture. 

St.  Paul,  for  instance,  says :  "  1  thank  God 
that  I  baptized  none  of  you,  but  Cris[)us  and 
Gaius ;  ...  for  Christ  sent  me  NOT  TO 
BAPTIZE,  but  to  PREACH  THE  GOSPEL"  (l  Cor. 
i.  17).  Now  such  language  is  utterly  inexplic- 
able, if  the  water  of  baptism  were  the  grer.t 
means  of  regenerating  men.  Surely  the  great 
Apostle  would  hardly  thank  God  he  had  had  no 
part  in  the  work  of  saving  the  Corinthians,  and 
surely  Christ  Himself  would  not  have  sent 
His  servant  to  do  the  less  and  omit  the  greater 
work. 

We  new  come  to  the  examination  of  the 
second  clause, 

Born  of  the  Spirit. 

In  nothing  is  Scripture  clearer  than  in  its 
testimony  concerning  the  utterly  lost  condition 
of  him  who  is  yet  in  his  sins,  that  is,  the  unre- 


4 


THE   NATURE  OF  THE  NEW  BIRTH.        35 

generate  man.  Such  an  one,  it  declares,  is  a 
criminal  on  whose  head  abides  the  wrath  of 
God.  Having  refused  the  salvation  which  is  in 
Christ,  and  the  blood  which  cleanseth  from  sin, 
his  j^uilt  is  ever  before  God  ;  it  rises  up  like  a 
cloud,  calling  for  judgment,  and  therefore  while 
he  is  in  this  state — separate  from  Chr'st  through 
unbelief  and  impenitency  of  heart — emphatically 
it  declares  he  shall  not  SEE  life,  but  that  the 
wrath  of  God  abfdeth  on  him.  Far  otherwise, 
however,  is  it  with  him  who  has  fled  for  refuge 
to  lay  hold  upon  the  hope  set  before  us  in  the 
Gospel.  Such  an  one  stands  JUSTIFIED  from  all 
things  ;  his  glorious  Substitute,  the  Lamb  of  God, 
has  borne  his  sins  and  taken  his  place  in  wrath  ; 
the  penalty  of  death,  justly  due  his  guilt,  has 
been  endured  by  Christ ;  and  this  sacrifice  of 
the  Son  of  God,  having  been  accepted  by  the 
Father  as  the  full  and  eternal  satisfaction  for  all 
his  sins,  he  stands  absolutely  free,  UNCHARGED 
wri'H  FAULT  BEFORE  GOD.  But  this  is  not 
all.  Not  only  is  the  believer  for  ever  delivered 
from  death  by  virtue  of  the  sacrifice  of  his 
chosen  Substitute,  but  this  same  Substitute, 
even  Jesus  Christ,  is  made  unto  him  an  ever- 
lasting RIGHTEOUSNESS.  As  therefore  the 
righteousness  of  Christ  is  of  infinite  merit  by 


rasTunM  .ii).ii,i>ii[nii,i, 


36 


LIFE  IN  A   LOOK. 


reason  both  of  the  dignity  of  His  person  and 
the  perfection  of  His  obedience,  it  follows  that 
as  Christ  is  precious,  so  is  the  believer  precious 
to  the  Father.  Thus,  accepted  in  the  Beloved, 
he  stands  wholly  in  the  infinite  righteousness  of 
Another.  For  him  Christ  died,  and  for  him 
wrought  out  while  jn  earth  a  righteousness  so 
perfect  and  sublime  that  even  tlie  awful  holiness 
of  the  Father  could  rest  in  it  as  absolutely  with- 
out fault. 

Such  then — the  infinite  merit  of  Christ — con- 
stitutes the  ONLY  RIGHT  of  the  believer  to  stand 
before  God  and  say :  "  I  know  Thou  hast  for 
ever  saved  me.  This  is  my  only  plea,  as  a 
child  of  God,  and  an  heir  of  glory."  So  much 
then  for  his  right  to  call  God  his  Father  in  Christ, 
and  to  rest  in  that  peace  which  comes  from 
being  justified  by  faith.  His  acceptance,  his 
whole  standing,  rests  entirely  on  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ. 

We  now  proceed  to  another  and  equally 
momentous  question,  namely, 

What  DISPOSITION  is  that,  in  the  believer^  by 
which,  with  the  aid  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  Ite  is  en- 
abled to  serve  God? 


4^ 


Certainly   he  has  none  in   his  own   natural 


THE  NATURE  OF  THE  NEW  BIRTH.        37 


heart,  that  being  "  deceitful  above  all  things  and 
desperately  wicked."  "  It  is  not  subject  to  the 
law  of  God,  NEITHER  TNDEED  CAN  BE."  In 
the  emphatic  language  of  St.  Paul,  the  mind  of 
the  flesh — that  is,  the  natural  heart — is  DEATH. 
Now,  can  the  reader  for  one  moment  imagine 
that  with  such  a  heart  anf  man  can  serve  God  } 
Sooner  will  water  help  fire  to  burn  brighter, 
than  our  natural  heart  minister  to  the  service 
of  God.  Observe,  it  is  not  inability  to  keep 
abreast  of  God's  law  to  which  I  allude.  It  is 
not  as  if  I  said :  As  well  might  an  eagle  race 
with  thp  lightning  as  our  natural  heart  keep  up 
to  the  perfect  law  of  God  ;  for  in  that  case  the 
eagle  might  fly  very  swiftly,  though  unsuccess- 
fully. There  would  h^fai/ure  but  not  antagon- 
ism. With  our  natural  heart  it  is  far  other- 
wise, "  it  is  not  subject  to  the  law  of  God,  neither 
indeed  can  be."  To  trust  in  this  heart — to 
believe  that  it  either  can  or  will  serve  God — is 
like  letting  loose  a  wild  zebra  of  the  desert,  in 
the  fond  hope  that  afterwards  it  will  return  at 
your  call.  It  cannot  possibly  do  so ;  its  whole 
nature  revolts  against  the  yoke ;  it  hates  all 
restraint,  and,  like  the  winds,  it  must  be  free. 

Two  mistakes  in  connection  with  this  truth 
are  very  common  ;  they  are  the  following  :— 


38 


LIFE  IN  A  LOOK. 


First :  Many  imagine  that  on  their  believing^ 
God  will  change  this  natural^  evil  heart,  and 
make  it  holy  and  good ;  while,  secondly,  others 
suppose  tJie  natural  Iteart  will  be  wholly  done 
away  with,  so  t/tat  it  will  not  even  exist. 

Now,  with  regard  to  the  first  of  these  errors, 
nothing  is  clearer  than  that  God  does  not 
CHANGE  the  natural  heart  into  that  which  is 
good  and  holy.  Throughout  the  whole  range 
of  Scripture  we  do  not  once  find  the  expression 
**  change  of  heart."  God  does  no  mending,  no 
refurbishing  ;  He  CREATES  ANEW.  What  there- 
fore we  do  find  in  the  word  of  God  is,  the 
doctrine  of  a  new  heart,  and  of  a  new  spirit. 
Thus  in  Ezekiel,  God  says  :  '*  A  new  heart  also 
will  I  give  you,  and  a  new  Spirit  will  I  put  with- 
in you  ;  and  I  will  take  away  the  stony  heart 
out  of  your  flesh,  and  I  will  give  you  an  heart 
of  flesh "  (xxxvi.  26).  So  too  St.  Paul  says : 
"  Therefore,  if  any  man  be  in  Christ,  he  is  a 
NEW  CREATURE  :  old  things  are  passed  away  ; 
behold,  all  things  are  become  new  "  (2  Cor.  v.  17). 
And  again  :  "  For  in  Christ  Jesus  neither  circum- 
cision availeth  anything,  nor  uncircumcision, 
but  a  NEW  CREATURE"  (Gal.  vi.  15).  "For 
we,"  that  is,  believers,  "  are  His  workmanship, 


THE  NATURE  OF  THE  NEW  BIRTH.        39 

CREATED  IN  CHRIST  JeSUS"  (Eph.  ii.  lO). 
Thus  we  see  that  Christ  comes  into  the  heart 
with  this  decree :  "  Behold,  I  make  all  things 
new"  (Rev.  xxi.  5).  The  old  heart,  therefore, 
will  not  be  re-made,  or  changed  ;  on  the  con- 
trary, it  will  continue  till  the  end  the  same 
utterly  hostile  and  corrupt  nature  that  it  was 
at  first.  But  this,  dear  reader,  will  God  do  for 
you,  should  you  now  accept  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  "  A  new  heart  also  will  He  give  you,  and 
a  new  Spirit  will  He  put  within  you." 

The  second  error  is  refuted  by  the  constant 
statement  of  the  Apostles,  as  well  as  by  the 
bitter  experience  of  God's  people  in  all  ages, 
and  in  all  lands.  Who  can  read  the  epistles  of 
St.  Paul  without  seeing  how  terribly  he  had  to 
struggle  with  an  evil  heart  within  ?  "I  know," 
he  says,  "  that  in  me  (that  is,  in  my  flesh) 
dwelleth  NO  good  thing"  (Rom.  vii.  18).  "I 
find,"  he  adds,  "  a  law,  that  when  I  would  do 
good,  evil  is  present  with  me.  For  I  delight  in 
the  law  of  God  after  the  inward  man  ;  but  I  see 
another  law  IN  MY  MEMBERS,  warring  against 
the  law  of  my  mind,  and  bringing  me  into 
captivity  to  the  LAW  OF  SIN  which  is  in  my 
members.  O  wretched  man  that  I  am !  who 
shall  deliver  me  from  the  body  of  this  death } 


40 


LIFE  IN  A  LOOK. 


I  thank  God  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord." 
In  a  remarkable  passage  in  Galatians,  the  same 
Apostle  declares  :  "  The  flesh  LUSTETH  AGAINST 
THE  Spirit,  and  the  Spirit  against  the  flesh : 
and  these  arc  contrary  the  one  to  the  other :  so 
that  ye  may  not  do  the  things  ye  may  wish ' 
(Chap.  V.  17,  Ellicott).  These  texts  I  quote, 
and  many  more  might  be  added,  only  to  show 
how  desperately  opposed  to  God's  grace  the 
natural  heart  is ;  for  we  see  that  even  after  a 
man  has  been  saved  by  grace,  it  remains  the 
same  in  its  ineradicable  hostility  to  God.  It  is 
true,  we  shall  hereafter  be  wholly  free  from  its 
contaminating  presence  when  we  stand  with 
Christ  in  glory ;  true,  that  even  here,  by  virtue 
of  our  union  with  the  risen  Redeemer,  we  are 
legally  free  from  its  DOMINION,  and  may  actually 
be  so  from  its  BONDAGE,  but  we  are  in  this  life 
never  free  from  its  conscious  presence  ;  never 
free  from  the  absolute  necessity  of  our  watch- 
ing, waiting,  praying,  lest  the  flesli  betray  us 
into  sin. 

And  now,  by  way  of  illustration,  let  us  sup- 
pose the  case  of  a  man  who,  through  grace,  has 
believed  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  What  is  his 
position  ?  The  blood  of  Christ  has  availed  to 
wash  his  sins  for  ever  av^v :   but  is  this  all  ? 


THE   NATURE  OF   THE  NEW   BIRTH.        4I 


1^ 


Suppose  God  were  now  to  leave  him,  would  he 
not  soon  be  as  deep  in  the  mire  as  ever  ? 
Certainly,  only  lower  down  still.  You  want 
a  servant ;  under  the  hope  of  reward,  a  savage 
offers  himself;  you  accept  his  terms  and  he 
enters  your  service.  In  an  unguarded  moment 
he  attacks  you,  and  having  robbed  you  of  all 
your  effects,  leaves  you  for  dead.  On  your 
recovery  you  send  for  him,  pardon  all  his  bru- 
tality, and  inform  him  you  freely  forgive  his 
outrage.  Now,  what  have  you  done  ?  Have 
you  bettered  the  savage  ?  No,  not  in  the  least. 
He  was  a  savage  before  you  forgave  him,  and  he 
is  a  savage  after  you  have  forgiven  him.  He 
needs  more  than  forgiveness  ;  he  needs  to  be 
made  NEW;  he  needs  a  Ntw  HEART.  Now 
Scripture  discloses  the  great  truth  that  God 
will  forgive  his  sins  ;  He  will  CREATE  in  him  a 
NEW  HEART,  that  is,  He  will  absolutely  call  into 
existence  that  which  before  was  not  in  him,  and 
this  He  will  do  by  the  operation  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  As  this  "  new  licart  "  is  commonly 
known  in  Scripture  by  the  name  of  the  "  new 
man!'  or  other  kindred  terms,  I  shall  henceforth 
speak  of  this  new  creation  under  this  title, 
but  before  I  proceed  to  explain  the  nature  of 
the  "  new  man,"  1  wish  again  to  call  your  atten- 


42 


LIFE  IN  A  LOOK. 


tion  to  two  truths  which  should  ever  be  kept 
clear  and  distinct  in  our  minds  : — 

First,  our  RIGHT  to  stand  before  God  as  ac- 
cepted, lies  wholly  in  the  infinite  merit  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  and  secondly,  our  ABILITY 
to  render  God  service  lies  in  the  creation  withir 
us  of  the  "  new  man,"  together  with  the  gift  of 
the  Holy  Ghost. 


The  New  Man. 

Writing  to  the  Romans,  the  Apostle  refers  to 
a  great  truth  which,  he  says,  they  knew.  This 
truth,  which  is  of  the  greatest  importance  to  us, 
is  as  follows  :  *  Knowing  this,  that  our  old  man 
was  crucified  with  Him  in  order  that  the  body 
of  sin  might  be  rendered  powerless,  that  we 
should  no  longer  serve  sin  "  (Rom.  vi.  6,  Alford). 
Now,  here  the  Apostle  speaks  of  some  one  in 
us  under  the  title  of  "  OUR  OLD  MAN,"  and  the 
question  arises  to  whom  does  he  refer }  The 
answer  is  immediately  found  by  appealing  to 
his  Epistle  to  the  Galatians,  in  which  he  says  : 
"  I  have  been  crucified  with  Christ  (co-crucified) ; 
it  is,  how?ver,  no  longer  I  that  live,  but  Christ 
Hveth  in  me  "  (Chap.  ii.  20,  Ellicott).  In  com- 
paring these  two  passages  we  find  that  the  "  I  " 
of   Galatians   stands    for   the   "old   man"    of 


THE  NATURE  OF  THE  NEW  BIRTH.        43 

Romans ;  in  other  words,  the  "  I "  represents  all 
the  Apostle  was  by  nature,  as  opposed  to  what 
he  was  by  grace.  The  "  I  "  was  the  "  old  man '' 
in  him:  but  this  "  I"— this  "old  man  "—he 
declares,  was  crucified  with  Christ ;  that  is,  in 
the  death  of  Christ,  not  only  did  God  provide  a 
full  and  ample  satisfaction  for  the  actual  sins 
of  His  believing  people,  but  He  t/iefi  and  t/iere 
condemned  sin  in  the  flesh,  that  is  to  say,  God 
at  that  time  passed  judicial  sentence  of  death 
upon  our  corrupt  and  fallen  nature,  so  that  it  is 
NOW,  like  a  man  who  has  been  tried,  found 
guilty,  and  condemned  to  die,  legally,  though 
not  actually,  DEAD.  And  actually  dead  it  will 
be  when  God  executes  His  sentence  upon  it  by 
either  the  coming  of  Christ,  or  the  personal 
removal  of  His  people.  And  what  was  true  in 
the  case  of  St.  Paul  is  affirmable  of  all  believers, 
for  of  the  whole  family  of  faith  it  is  said  :  "  But 
they  who  are  of  Christ  Jesus  CRUCIFIED  the 
flesh,  with  its  passions  and  with  its  desires" 
(Gal.  V.  24,  Alford).  They  all  died  with  Christ  j 
they  all  had  the  sin  which  is  in  their  flesh,  that 
is,  their  "  old  man,"  condemned  ;  they  all  have 
been  set  free  in  the  liberty  which  is  in  Christ 
Jesus. 

We  now  come  to  the  "  NEW  man,"  who,  by 


44 


LIFE  IN  A  LOOK. 


the   Holy   Ghost,   has   been    CREATED   in   the 
believer,  in  righteousness  and  true  holiness. 

St.  Paul,  writing  to  the  Epliesians,  tells  them 
that  when  they  believed  on  the  Lord,  they  did, 
at  that  moment,  put  off  the  old  man  and  put  on 
the  "  new."  In  pressing  this  vital  truth  upon 
them,  his  language  is  very  strong,  as  he  is  most 
anxious  they  should  walk  worthy  of  their  risen 
Lord.  "But  YE  did  not  so  learn  Christ;  if 
indeed  ye  heard  Him,  and  were  taught  in  Him, 
as  is  truth  in  Jesus,  namely,  that  ye  put  otf  as 
concerns  the  former  conversation  the  old  man, 
which  is  being  corrupted  according  to  the  lusts 
of  deceit,  and  that  ye  are  renewed  in  the  spirit 
of  your  minds,  and  that  ye  put  on  THE  NEW 
MAN  WHICH  WAS  CREATED  AFTER  GOD  IN 
RIGHTEOUSNESS  AND  HOLINESS  OF  TRUTH  " 
(Ii)nh.  iv.  20-24,  ^^cv.  Trans.).  Exactly  similar 
to  this  is  the  statement  in  Colossians  :  "  Do  not 
lie  one  to  another,  seeing  that  ye  have  PUT  OFF 
from  you  the  OLD  man  with  his  deeds  ;  and 
have  PUT  ON  THE  NEW  MAN,  which  is  being 
renewed  unto  knowledge  after  the  image  of  HiM 
THAT  CREATED  HIM"  (Chap.  iii.  9,  10,  Ellicott). 
So  too  in  another  passage,  where  the  Apostle  is 
showing  how  Christ  had  made  both  Jewish  and 
Gentile  believers  new  creatures  in  Himself,  he 


\ 


THE   NATURE  OF  THE   NEW   BIRTH. 


45 


says  :  "  For  He  (Cluist)  is  our  peace,  who  made 
both  (Jew  and  Gentile)  one,  and  threw  down 
the  middle  wall  of  the  fence  (the  whole  cere- 
monial law  which  separated  the  Jew  from  thv2 
Gentile,  but  above  all  the  enmity  which  separ- 
ated both  from  God)  to  wit,  the  enmity,  in  His 
flesh  ;  abolishing  the  law  of  the  commandments 
in  ordinances  ;  that  He  might  MAKE  (lit. 
create)  the  two  into  ONE  NEW  MAN  in  Him- 
self, so  making  peace"  (Eph.  ii.  14,  15,  Alford). 
The  "  new  man  "  here  is  not  merely  one  who 
does  not  stand  on  national  privileges,  but  one 
who  has  spiritually  been  made  new  by  the  Holy 
Ghost  having  created  in  him  a  new  heart,  called 
by  the  Apostle  Paul  THE  NEW  MAN.  In  writing 
to  the  Corinthians,  the  same  inspired  writer 
says  :  "  Wherefore  if  any  man  be  in  Christ,  HE 
IS  A  NEW  creature"  (2  Cor.  v.  17).  Not  a 
reformed  man,  but  a  new  man,  "God's  work- 
manship, CREATED  IN  CHRIST  JeSUS  untO  good 
works "  (Eph.  ii.  10).  And  he  is  this  new 
creature  by  virtue  of  God  having  created  in  him 
that  which  before  he  possessed  not,  namely,  a 
heart  to  love  and  serve  Him  ;  a  heart  which 
from  the  very  fact  of  its  having  been  created 
"  in  righteousness  and  holiness  of  the  truth," 
enables  the  believer,  through   the  mighty  and 


46 


LIFE  IN   A   LOOK. 


ever  present  help  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  to  walk  in 
the  light  as  Christ  is  in  the  light.  And  this 
walking  in  the  light  is  no  mere  mechanical 
imitation  of  Christ,  but  the  result  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  having  begotten  us  anew  in  Christ  Jesus. 
The  promises  which  had  gone  before  were 
all  to  the  same  effect ;  for  God,  speaking  to 
Israel  through  Ezekiel,  says:  "A  NEW  HEART 
also  will  I  give  you,  and  a  NEW  Spirit  will  I 
put  within  you  ; "  and  in  Jeremiah  :  "  But  this 
shall  be  the  covenant  that  I  will  make  with  the 
House  of  Israel ;  after  those  days,  saith  the 
Lord,  I  will  put  MV  LAW  IN  THEIR  INWARD 
PARTS,  and  WRITE  IT  IN  THEIR  HEARTS  ;  and 
I  will  be  their  God,  and  they  shall  be  my 
people  "  (Jer.  xxxi.  33). 

Such,  then,  is  the  "  new  man  "  as  described 
in  Holy  Scripture.  In  order,  however,  to  make 
the  whole  clearer,  I  will  ask  you  to  observe 
three  points  : — 

First,  the  origin  of  its  existence  ;  secondly, 
the  time  when  it  occurs  ;  and  thirdly,  the  result 
of  its  being  within  us. 

As  regards  the  first,  I  have  already  shown  it 
is  of  God,  for  the  new  man  is  said  to  have  been 
created  after  God  in  righteousness  and  holiness 
of  the  truth.     The  Holy  Ghost  is  that  Person  of 


I 


\ 


I 


THE  NATURE  OF  THE  NEW  BIRTH.        47 

the  Trinity  by  whom  this  is  effected,  for  our 
Lord  distinctly  states :  "  It  is  the  Spirit  that 
quickeneth  "  (John  vi.  63),  and  that  His  people 
are  all  BORN  OF  THE  Spirit.  Life  dwells  in 
Christ.  He  is  the  life-giving  one,  and  therefore 
he  that  hath  the  Son  hath  life  ;  but  this  quicken- 
ing power  Christ  has  equally  with  the  Father, 
for,  "  as  the  Father  raiseth  uo  the  dead,  and 
quickeneth  them,  even  so  the  Son  quickeneth 
whom  He  will."  Still  we  are  to  understand 
that  the  Holy  Ghost  directly  quickens  the 
spiritually  dead,  for,  in  addition  to  what  I  have 
already  quoted,  St.  Paul  says :  "  The  Spirit 
giveth  life "  (2  Cor.  iii.  6).  And  now  let  it 
be  clearly  understood  that  this  everlasting  life 
which  we  have  in  Christ  Jesus  is  not  that  mere 
eternity  of  existence  which  the  wicked  will  have 
in  the  "  lake  of  fire ; "  //  is  Christ  in  us  the  hope 
of  glory.  The  wicked  exist  here  in  this  life 
without  personal  union  with  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  and  they  shall  so  exist  throughout  all 
eternity ;  they  have  existence,  and  that  exist- 
ence is  eternal,  but  not  life  eternal,  that  is, 
LIFE  IN  Christ.  This  "  life  in  Christ "  God's 
people  have  ;  they  have  it  from  the  time  of  their 
new  birth,  when  the  new  heat  was  given  them  ; 
and  now  that  they  have  received  it,  though  they 


48 


LIFE  IN  A   LOOK. 


are,  like  the  wicked,  still  mortal  as  to  theif 
bodies,  yet  arc  they  united  for  ever  to  Christ, 
and  when  He  shall  appear,  they  shall  also 
appear  with  Him  in  j^lory. 

Christ,  therefore,  the  fountain,  preserver,  and 
fulness  of  life,  is  the  Author  of  our  life :  by 
His  Holy  Spirit  He  has  quickened  us,  having 
created  within  us  a  new  heart,  which  new  heart 
is  TMl-:  NEW  MAN  of  which  I  have  been  speak- 
ing. To  this  new  man,  so  created  in  us,  the 
Holy  Ghost  testifies  of  Jesus  Christ;  fills  with 
His  glorious  presence,  strengthens,  guides,  di- 
rects, especially  at  a  Throne  of  Grace,  where, 
with  groanings  which  cannot  be  uttered,  He 
makes  intercession  with  the  saints,  according  to 
the  will  of  God. 

As  therefore  we  have  before  seen  that  our 
RIGHT  to  stand  before  God  in  peace  rests  on 
the  merit  of  ANOrilKR,  even  on  THE  RIGHTE- 
OUSNESS OF  Christ,  so  now  we  see  that  our 
ABILITY  to  serve  Him  rests  on  the  fact  of  there 
having  been  created  within  us  a  new  heart  in 
union  with  the  will  of  God,  with  which  new 
heart  the  Holy  Ghost  pleads,  and,  as  being  ever 
present  with,  strengthens,  fills,  and  guides. 

Secondly,  the  time  when  this  new  creation 
takes  place  is  that  moment  when  the  sinner  first 


THE  NATURE  OF  THE  NEW  BIRTH.        49 


h 

ir 
n 

ir 
e 
n 

;r 

n 

3t 


with  the  heart  beh'eves  in  Jesus  Christ  as  his 
Saviour.  As  I  shall  treat  of  this  subject  in  my 
third  chapter,  I  must  refer  the  reader  to  it  for  a 
full  and  definite  declaration  concerning  that  life 
which  by  faith  is  instantaneously  communicated 
to  the  soul. 

Thirdly y  the  results  of  the  "  new  man  "  being 
within  us  are,  that  we  are  enabled,  Jirough  the 
Holy  Ghost  assisting  us,  to  walk  with  God  and 
do  His  holy  will.  There  is  now  within  the 
believer  that  which  really  does  love  God,  so 
that  he  can  now  say  with  the  Apostle  Paul :  "  I 
delight  in  the  law  of  God  after  the  inward 
man."  He  has  indeed  become  a  son,  and  as 
a  son  can  glorify  the  Father  through  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  Ignorance  of  this  truth  leads  to 
the  most  deplorable  results,  for  it  induces 
people  to  make  a  fond  effort  to  try  and  serve 
God  with  a  heart  deceitful  above  all  things,  and 
desperately  wicked.  Not  having  received  Christ 
by  faith  into  their  hearts,  and  therefore  not 
having  been  born  of  the  Spirit,  they  have  only 
resident  within  them  a  principle  which  is  in 
direct  and  incessant  antagonism  to  God.  The 
effort  consequently  to  "  make  all  things  new," 
can  only  have  one  result,  and  that  is,  utter 
failure.      How  often,   for   instance,   have   poor 

D 


so 


LIFE  IN  A  LOOK. 


drunkards  come  to  the  writer,  burning  with 
indignation  against  themselves  on  account  of 
the  degradation  into  which  their  own  sins  and 
follies  had  involved  them.  They  have  vowed 
and  vowed  again  to  leave  all  the  past  behind 
them  ;  to  give  up  sin  in  every  form  ;  to  become 
entirely  new,  and  henceforth  only  to  soar  up- 
ward to  the  skies.  Their  abhorrence  of  sin  has 
been  real ;  their  intention  to  reform  sincere ; 
their  prayers  earnest,  sometimes  agonizing ;  but 
within  a  month  th'^,y  have  gone  back  like  a  dog 
to  its  vomit  and  a  sow  that  was  washed  to  its 
wallowing  in  the  mire.  People  have  been  in 
despair  at  the  spectacle,  but  no  other  result 
could  be  looked  for.  Vehemency  of  desire  and 
earnestness  in  vows  will  not  take  the  place  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  therefore,  however 
much  a  poor  drunkard  may  desire  to  reform, 
until  he  receives  Christ  by  faith  into  his  heart 
he  is  on  the  sand,  and  the  house  of  fond  ex- 
pectations and  visionary  delights  built  thereon 
must  inevitably  fall.  It  is  true  indeed,  men 
may  sometimes  give  up  drinking  without  be- 
coming true  Christians  ;  but  this  is  only  reform, 
not  salvation  ;  and  it  is  of  salvation  that  I 
speak.  No,  the  drunkard,  as  well  as  every 
other    unsaved   sinner,   needs   to   be   CREATED 


THE  NATURE  OF  THE  NEW  BIRTH. 


5i 


ecome 


ANEW  in  Christ  Jesus,  and  until  he  is,  he  must 
of  necessity  be  the  sport  and  prey  of  his  own 
passions.  I  do  not  mean  to  deny  that  open 
violators  of  God's  laws  may  not  under  certain 
circumstances  effect  an  external  reformation  of 
their  lives,  a  reformation,  too,  in  every  way  to 
be  desired  as  rendering  them  better  able  to 
understand  the  words  of  life  spoken  to  them  ; 
but  to  serve  as  sons  in  God's  house,  never. 
Even  the  effort  at  external  reformation  is  often 
futile,  and  this  because  these  victims  of  passion 
trust  in  a  heart  which  is  not  subject  to  the  law 
of  God,  neither  indeed  can  be :  they  trust  in 
their  indignation  against  sin  ;  in  their  vehement 
desires ;  in  the  vows  they  are  taking ;  in  the 
.strength  which  they  imaijinc  they  possess  ;  in 
everything,  in  fact,  except  in  that  which  alone 
would  save  them,  namely,  the  merits  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Instead  of  trustirg  on  Him 
who  is  mighty  to  save;  they  trust  Oii  their  own 
hearts  ;  and  "  he  that  trusteth  in  his  own  heart," 
Solomon  says,  **  is  a  fool." 

No,  God's  plan  is  wholly  different :  it  is  for 
the  loi."t  sinner  to  look  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
believe  and  live  for  ever  ;  then  at  this  moment 
of  his  believing  is  there  created  within  him  a 
new  heart,  one  that   DELIGHTS   in  the  law  of 


5* 


LIFE  IN  A  LOOK. 


I  I 


God,  and  though  it  has  still  lo  wrestle  with  the 
old  and  carnal  nature,  yet  being  ever  aided  by 
the  Holy  Ghost,  it  continurtlly  presses  towards 
the  mark  for  the  prize  of  its  high  calling  in 
Christ  Jesus.  It  hates  sin  and  loathes  the  gar- 
ments spotted  by  the  flesh ;  and,  being  God's 
WORKMANSHIP,  created  in  Christ  Jesus  unto 
good  works,  it  knows  God  and  is  known  of 
Him. 


CHAPTER  III. 


REGENERA  TION  IN  ITS  CONNECTION 
CHRIST  ON  THE  CROSS. 

iHEN  our  Lord  said  to  Nicodemus : 
"  Except  a  man  be  born  of  water  and 
of  the  Spirit,  he  cannot  enter  into  the 
kingdom  of  God,"  the  learned  Jew  was  still  as 
utterly  unable  to  comprehend  His  meaning  as 
before,  and  could  only,  in  his  astonishment, 
utter  the  unbelieving  exclamation :  "  How  can 
these  things  be?"  On  this  Christ  said:  "Art 
thou  a  (the)  master  of  Israel,  and  knowest  not 
these  things?  "  Evidently  our  Lord  considered 
Nicodemus  ought  to  have  been  familiar  with 
these  truths,  as  they  were  not  new  revelations 
but  clear  and  blessed  statements  prophesied  of 
in  the  old  Testament  Scriptures.  Still,  being 
Himself  a  merciful  High  Priest  who  always  had 
compassion  on  the  ignorant  and  on  them  that 
are  out  of  the  way.  He  proceeds  to  show  Nico- 
demus, by  referring  him  to  a  well  known  his- 

51 


54 


IJFE  IN  A  LOOK. 


torical  incident,  that  this  great  doctrine  of  the 
new  birth,  or  regeneration  through  the  uplifted 
Christ,  was  typically  made  known  to  Israel  as 
far  back  as  the  days  of  Moses.  This  He  does 
by  referring  him  to  the  following  event,  re- 
corded in  the  twenty-first  chapter  of  the  Book 
of  Numbers  :  "And  the  people  spake  against 
God,  and  against  Moses,  Wherefore  have  ye 
brought  us  up  out  of  Egypt  to  die  in  the  wil- 
derness? for  there  is  no  bread,  neither  is  there 
any  water ;  and  our  soul  loatheth  this  light 
bread.  And  the  Lord  sent  fiery  serpents  among 
the  people,  and  they  bit  the  people  ;  and  much 
people  of  Israel  died.  Therefore  the  people 
came  to  Moses,  and  said,  We  have  sinned,  for 
we  have  spoken  against  the  Lord,  and  against 
thee  ;  pray  unto  the  Lord,  that  He  take  away 
the  serpents  from  us.  And  Moses  prayed  for 
the  people.  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses, 
Make  thee  a  fiery  serpent,  and  set  it  upon  a 
pole  :  and  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  every  one 
that  is  bitten,  when  he  looketh  upon  it,  .shall 
live.  And  Moses  made  a  serpent  of  brass,  and 
put  it  upon  a  pole,  and  it  came  to  pass,  that  if  a 
serpent  had  bitten  any  man,  WHEN  HE  BiaiELD 
THE  SERPENT  OF  BRASS,  HE  LIVED."  This  was 
a   scene   in   the  history   of  Israel   with  which 


CROSS  OF  CHRIST  AND  REGENERATION.   55 

Nicodemus  could  not  but  be  familiar,  and  there- 
fore, with  peculiar  propriety,  pointing  him  to 
that  grand  historical  scene,  Christ  says :  "As 
Moses  lifted  up  the  serpent  in  the  wilderness, 
EVEN  SO  must  the  Son  of  Man  be  lifted  up : 
that  whosoever  believeth  in  Him  should  not 
perish,  but  have  eternal  life."  Now,  here  our 
Lord  states  two  most  important  facts ;  Jirst^ 
that  the  uplifting  of  the  brazen  serpent  in  the 
wilderness  was  a  type  of  Himself  upon  the 
Cross ;  and  secondly,  that  the  physical  results 
flowing  to  the  bitten  Israelites  from  a  look  at 
the  serpent  of  brass  were  typical  of  the  spiritual 
and  eternal  results  which  flow  to  our  souls  from 
a  believing  look  at  Him  as  the  Bearer  on  the 
Cross  of  our  appointed  doom.  The  "  even  so  " 
marks  the  exactness  of  the  similitude.  It  fol- 
lows, therefore,  that  any  preaching  which  makes 
salvation  less  FREE,  less  EASY,  less  perfect,  or 
less  IMMEDIATE  than  the  healing  effected  by 
the  type,  is  not  the  teaching  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ. 


What  Nicodemus  was  anxious  to  know  was, 
how  a  man  could  be  born  when  he  was  old  ? 
Our  Lord  said  it  was  by  faith  in  Himself  as 
uplifted  on   the  Cross.      Standing   before   this 


56 


LIFE  IN  A  LOOK. 


tremendous  sacrifice,  and  believing  on  Christ 
thus  offered,  the  sinner  not  only  obtains  the  full 
and  eternal  pardon  of  his  sins,  but  also  full 
spiritual  health,  that  is,  he  is  BORN  AGAIN,  a 
new  heart  being  given  him  and  a  new  spirit  put 
within  him.  Thus  we  see  Christ  has  for  ever 
connected  regeneration  with  faith  in  Himself  as 
God's  appointed  sacrifice  for  sin  ;  and  so  close 
and  so  real  is  this  connection,  that  whenever  a 
sinner  believes  in  Jesus  Christ  as  the  bearer 
away  of  his  sins  on  the  Cross,  at  that  moment 
is  he  also  born  again ;  at  that  moment  he  re- 
ceives power — to  use  the  language  of  St.  John 
— to  become  a  son  of  God. 

As  our  Lord  presses  upon  us  the  exactness 
of  the  similitude  between  tiie  healing  by  the 
brazen  serpent,  and  regeneration  through  faith 
in  Himself  as  offered  upon  the  Cross,  I  shall 
now  endeavour  to  point  out  some  striking 
features  in  this  resemblance. 

First :  The  people  for  whom  the  brazen  serpent 
was  uplifted  in  tlte  wilderness  were  those  dying 
absolutely  without  /tope,  and  those  for  whom 
Christ  died  were  the  LOST. 

The  Israelites  who  had  been  bitten  had  to 
die ;  no  physician  could  heal  them,  no  human 


L 


CROSS  OF  CHRIST  AND  REGENERATION.   5/ 


arm  could  help  them  ;  the  bite  was  certain  death. 
For  such  the  serpent  of  brass  was  lifted  up, 
and  for  such  alone.  So  Christ  was  lifted  up  for 
a  certain  object—TO  SAVE  THE  LOST.  If,  there- 
fore, there  are  any  people  in  this  world  who  are 
not  lost — lost,  I  mean,  in  the  sense  in  which 
Christ  uses  the  word — then  Christ  did  not  die 
for  them,  for,  in  fact,  they  need  no  Saviour ;  but 
as  the  Scripture  says  positively  that  no  such 
people  exist,  but  that  all  have  sinned  and  come 
short  of  the  glory  of  God,  it  follows  there  is  no 
man  who  may  not  be  saved  through  faith  in  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  as  all  come  under  the  title  of 
THE  LOST. 

And  now,  dear  reader,  do  you  know  what 
Christ  means  when  He  says  you  are  lost  ?  If 
you  are  not  yet  "  in  Him,"  and  therefore  for  ever 
free  from  all  condemnation,  1  am  very  certain 
you  do  not  ;  for  no  one  grasps  this  awful  fact 
by  intuition,  no  one  learns  it  by  mere  feeling,  it 
can  only  come  to  our  mind  by  the  revelation 
of  God's  word.  I  v  iil  not  therefore  ask  you 
whether  you  feel  you  are  lost,  or  whether  you 
think  you  are  lost,  but  reverently  and  prayerfully 
to  consider  the  fact  that  man's  utterly  LOST 
condition  does  not  rest  on  theory,  but  on  three 
very  startling  and  most  plainly  revealed  truths : 


J: 


58 


LIFE  IN  A  LOOK. 


(i)  On  the  imputation  of  Adam's  sin,  by 
which  DEATH  passed  throu^li  u.ito  ALL  MEN, 
on  the  ground  that  ALL  SINNED ; 

(2)  On  the  consequent  depravation  of  our 
nature  by  which  we  inherit,  as  springing  from 
Adam  and  standing  in  his  guilt,  a  heart,  or 
mind  of  tlie  flesh,  which  is  not  subject  to  the 
law  of  God,  neither  indeed  can  be  ;  and 

(3)  On  the  ground  of  our  daily  wilful  and 
repeated  transgressions,  by  which,  as  sinning 
against  light  and  truth,  we  are  continually  in- 
creasing our  guilt. 

And  now  as  regards  the  first  of  these,  namely 
the  imputation  of  Adam's  sin,  let  us  see  on  what 
ground  it  rests.  The  place  in  which  this  truth 
is  most  emphatically  laid  down  is  in  the  fifth 
chapter  of  Romans,  where  the  following  declar- 
ation is  made  on  the  subject  :  "  For  this  cause, 
as  by  ONE  MAN  sin  entered  into  the  world,  and 
by  sin.  death,  and  so  DEATH  PASSED  TJIPOUGII 
UNTO  ALL  MEN,  for  that  (on  the  ground  that) 
ALL  SINNED  (Ellicott).  Now,  here  is  t  very 
forcible  statement  to  the  effect  that  Adam  was 
our  represents tive,  and  tliat  WE  GINNED  in 
HIS  SIN.  St.  Paul  says :  "  By  one  rr.un  sin 
entered  into  the  world."  This  is  conceded  by 
all.      He  affirms  in  the  next  place,  "and  by  sin, 


CROSS  OF  CHRIST  AND   REGENERATION.   59 


death."  This  we  know  to  be  in  accord  with  the 
terms  of  the  original  judgment :  "  In  the  day 
that  thou  eatest  thereof  thou  shalt  surely  die." 
His  third  statement  is  a  deduction  or  inference 
from  the  above :  "  And  so  death  passed  through 
(permeated)  unto  all  men,  on  the  ground  that  all 
sinned  ; "  not  "  have  sinned,"  but  sinned^  that  is, 
in  the  act  of  Adam.  Death  is  here  represented 
as  radiating  or  spreading  out  from  a  certain 
event,  and  that  event  was  Adam's  sin.  But  the 
question  arises,  Why  was  it  thus }  The  answer 
is  :  On  the  ground  that  ALL  sinned.  Not  that 
each  one  of  us  is  born  an  heir  to  immortal  bliss, 
with  an  incorruptibility  of  body,  and  that  this 
happy  state  exists  until  in  an  evil  moment  we 
sin  and  all  is  lost ;  but  the  awful  sentence  of 
death  was  passed  upon  all  who  should  be  born 
of  Adam,  ON  THE  GROUND  that  all  sinned  in 
li;m.  The  Apostle  next  proceeds  to  expand 
upon  this  truth,  and  adds :  "  For  up  to  the  time 
of  the  law  there  was  sin  in  the  world,  but  sin  is 
not  reckoned  where  the  law  is  not.  But  death 
reigned  from  Adam  to  Moses,  even  over  those 
who  sin!ied  not  according  to  the  similitude  of 
the  transgression  of  Adam,  who  is  a  figure 
(type)  of  the  future  (Adam)."  The  argument  of 
the  Apostle  is  as  follows  :  He  had  just  stated 


6o 


LIFE  IN  A  LOOK. 


that  death  extended  to  all  men  on  the  ground 
that  all  sinned  in  Adam.  He  then  goes  on  to 
say  that,  up  to  the  giving  of  the  law  on  Mount 
Sinai,  sin  was  in  the  world,  that  is,  there  were 
bad  passions  everywhere  showing  themselves  in 
evil  acts ;  but  sin,  he  affirms,  is  not  reckoned 
(set  down  as  transgression)  where  there  is  no 
law.  Notwithstanding  all  this — notwithstanding 
that  God  does  not  reckon  that  as  sin  which  is 
done  without  the  protest  of  His  law — yet,  never- 
theless, DEATH  REIGNED  from  Adam  to  Moses, 
even  over  those  who  had  not  sinned  after  the 
similitude  of  Adam's  transgression.  Now  those 
who  lived  from  Adam  to  Moses  did  not  sin 
after  the  similitude  of  Adam's  transgression. 
Adam  had  a  well  known  and  fixed  law  to  live 
by.  So  also  had  Moses.  Those  who  intervened 
had  not ;  they  had  no  revealed,  declared  law ; 
they  were,  many  of  them,  very  grievous  sinners, 
but  they  did  not  sin  as  Adam  sinned,  that  is, 
against  a  known  law  ;  they  followed  the  wild 
bent  of  their  own  vicious  dispositions,  and  knew 
no  ruler  but  themselves.  But  God  does  not 
reckon  as  sin  that  which  is  done  without  the 
protest  of  law.  Why,  then,  did  death  reign  over 
them  if  sin  was  not  reckoned  to  them  ?  The 
answer    is :   because  they  all  sinned   in 


!i  ! 


CROSS  OF  CHRIST  AND  REGENERATION.  6l 


IS  no 


Adam.  It  is  the  same  now  ;  we  have  among  us 
those  who  do  not  sin  after  the  similitude  of 
Adam's  transgression,  namely,  infants  and  idiots; 
these  do  not,  and  cannot  sin  after  the  manner  of 
Adam,  that  is,  consciously,  against  a  known  law, 
yet  death  reigns  over  them.  They  sicken,  suffer, 
languish,  die  ;  and  people  often  ask.  Why  is 
this  ? — why  do  these  poor  unconscious  ones,  who 
have  never  committed  actual  sin,  thus  suffer  ? 
The  answer  is  :  Because  they  are  resting  under 
the  imputation  of  Adam's  guilt  ?  They  were 
born  into  the  world  with  his  sin  upon  them,  and 
as  a  consequence,  his  judgment,  which  is  death. 
We  know  indeed  from  Scripture  that  such  as  die 
before  they  have  become  conscious  agents  will  be 
saved  through  the  merits  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ ; 
but  then  this  does  not  alter  the  fact  concerning 
the  imputation  of  Adam's  sin.  The  Holy  Ghost 
in  the  word  of  God  always  places  man  under  one 
or  other  of  the  following  heads  :  The  first  man, 
Adam ;  or  the  second  Adam — Christ.  These 
constitute  the  only  two  camps  in  the  world.  All 
who  have  lived,  or  do  live,  or  shall  live,  will  be 
found  in  either  one  or  other  of  these.  Of  those 
under  the  first  Adam,  Scripture  affirms  that  they 
all  die — die  temporally,  and  die  eternally.  Of 
those  under  the  second  Adam,  Christ,  Scripture 


ii« 


62 


LIFE  IN  A  LOOK. 


affirms  that  they  have  LIFE— life  eternal ;  for 
though  they,  too,  die  temporally,  yet  in  Christ 
they  shall  all  be  made  alive.  The  passage 
I  have  quoted  from  Romans  distinctly  states 
three  solemn  facts  :  firs>\  that  sin  entered  into 
the  world  through  the  disobedience  of  Adam  ; 
secondly,  tliat  death  was  the  consequence  of  that 
sin  ;  thirdly,  that  all  the  human  race  is  charged 
by  God  as  having  sinned  in  Adam,  and  con- 
sequently the  judgment  of  death  which  was 
pronounced  on  him,  was  pronounced  upon 
the  whole  race  as  being  in  HIM.  Dear  reader, 
should  you  be  in  this  great  camp  of  sin,  con- 
demnation and  death,  your  duty  is  to  flee 
for  your  life  from  it,  as  Lot  did  from  the 
gates  of  Sodom,  for  surely  God  has  written 
it :  "  All  in  Adam  die."  Should  any  say,  "  Hov, 
is  this  ? "  I  answer,  God  is  infinitely  holy,  in- 
finitely just ;  what  He  ordains  must  be  just — 
infinitely  so.  And  let  it  be  remembered  that 
if  God  has  ordained  that  Adam's  guilt  should 
be  imputed  to  the  human  race.  He  has  also 
ordained  that  Christ's  righteousness  shall  be 
imputed  to  all  who  flee  to  His  dear  Son,  though 
their  sins  be  as  red  as  scarlet  and  as  deep  as 
crimson  dye. 

2. — Of  the  depravity  of  our  natural  heart,  and 


1:1        I 


CROSS  OF  CHRIST  AND   REGENERATION.   63 


its  utter  inability  to  serve  God,  I  have  already 
spoken  at  some  length,  and  will  now  only  add 
that  this  natural  heart  is  the  RESULT  of  our 
being  born  under  condemnation,  and  comes  to 
us  by  inheritance  from  Adam,  in  whom  we  have 
sinned.  In  other  words,  it  is  one  of  the  terrible 
results  which  flow  to  us  from  that  ONE  SIN. 
Should  we,  however,  fly  to  Christ,  being  then 
FREED  from  a  state  of  condemnation,  a  new 
heart  would  be  given  us,  even  one  created  in 
righteousness  and  holiness  of  the  truth. 

3. — Under  this  head  I  wish  to  say  a  few  words 
concerning  God's  holy  law.  First,  it  is  "  holy 
and  just  and  good  ; "  so  searching  and  pene- 
trating in  its  demands  that  it  requires  and  will 
receive  no  other  obedience  than  that  which  is 
absolutely  and  DIVINELY  faultless.  It  not  only 
says  "  Thou  shalt  NOT  DO,"  but  it  states  "  This 
SHALT  THOU  BE."  It  not  only  utters  the  com- 
mandment "Thou  shalt  NOT  steal,"  but  it  says 
"  Thou  SHALT  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all 
thy  heart."  Secondly,  such  obedience  as  the 
law  requires  no  or»e  has  ever  rendered  except  the 
Lord  Jesus  Chri  t,  the  "  sinless  one,"  in  whom 
God  was  well  pleased.  Thirdly,  the  law  was 
not  given  to  man  as  a  means  whereby  he 
might  obtain  justification  and    pardon,  but   to 


64 


LIFE  IN  A  LOOK. 


r\ 


^ 


i  \ 


I 


reveal  to  him  the  awful  heinousness  of  sin,  and 
to  show  to  him  at  all  times  what  is  God's  stan- 
dard of  infinite  holiness  and  right.  St.  Paul  says 
distinctly  :  "  By  the  law  is  the  KNOWLEDGE  of 
sin "  (Rom.  iii.  20).  The  law  is  God's  great 
meter  for  sin — His  sin-ometer.  Plunging  this 
into  the  great  river  of  humanity,  and  testing 
man  by  this  holy  and  perfect  standard,  the 
reading  is :  "  There  is  none  righteous,  NO  NOT 
ONE  "  (Rom.  iii.  10). 

For  these  reasons,  therefore,  an  unpardoned 
sinner  must  say  :  "  I  am  lost— first,  by  the  im- 
putation of  Adam's  sin  I  am  involved  in  the 
Judgment  of  death  ;  sjcond/y,  my  own  natural 
heart  is  enmity  to  God  and  utterly  incapable  of 
reformation  ;  thirdly,  every  day  I  am  increasing 
my  guilt  by  wilful  transgression,  that  is,  by  sin 
against  light  and  truth.  Being  therefore  CON- 
DEMNED, INCAPABLE  of  REFORMATION,  at  least 
by  any  powers  inherent  in  myself,  and  daily 
SINKING  DEEPER  INTO  GUILT,  I  may  well  say  I 
AM    LOST.** 

Terribly  however,  as  is  the  condition  of  the 
sinner  by  nature,  yet  grace  is  ready  to  save  him 
to  the  utmost.  Just  because  man  is  by  nature 
lost,  therefore  God  has  given  His  Son,  that 
whosoever  believeth  in  Him  should  not  perish. 


CROSS  OF  CHRIST  AND   REGENERATION.  65 


but  have  everlasting  life.  If  sin  has  abounded, 
^race  has  much  more  abounded,  so  that  the 
imputation  of  Adam's  guilt,  with  its  consequent 
judgment  of  death,  the  inherent  depravity  of 
the  natural  heart,  or  the  oft-recurring  sins  of 
daily  life,  are  more  than  met  by  the  transcendent 
salvation  of  the  Son  of  God.  The  imputation 
of  Adam* s  guilt  is  overbalanced  by  the  impu- 
tation of  Chris fs  righteousness ;  the  depraved 
heart,  by  the  creation  of  a  new  heart  in  righte- 
ousness and  true  holiness ;  and  the  recurring 
sins  of  daily  life,  by  grace  sufficient  from  on 
high.  AsG-  has  thus  made  provision  in  Jesus 
Christ  for  the  salvation  of  all,  the  sinner  is 
without  excuse.  Down  through  all  centuries  of 
time  come  these  glorious  words,  for  ever  refuting 
the  calumnies  of  men,  of  Satan,  and  of  our  own 
evil  heart  as  to  God's  not  wishing  the  salvation 
of  the  sinner,  "  And  this  is  THE  WILL  OF  HiM 
THAT  SENT  ME,  THAT  EVERY  ONE  WHICH 
SEETH  THE  SON  and  believeth  on  Him  MAY 
HAVE  EVERLASTING  LIFE  I  and  I  will  raise 
him  up  at  the  last  day  "  (John  vi.  40).  After 
such  words,  joy  is  for  all,  however  burdened, 
who  will  accept  the  salvation  of  God.  Hence 
arises  a  new  condemnation,  a  condemnation 
only  revealed  by  the  Gospel,  and  expressed  by 

E 


66 


LIFE  IN  A  LOOK. 


Christ  thus :  "  He  that  believeth  not  is  con- 
demned already,  because  he  hath  not  believed 
in  the  name  of  the  only-begotten  Son  of  God." 
And  t/tts  is  the  condemnation^  "that  light  is 
come  into  the  world,  and  men  loved  darkness 
rather  than  light,  because  their  deeds  were  evil " 
(John  iii.  i8,  19).  There  is,  in  other  words,  no 
excuse ;  all  MAY  be  saved  who  WILL.  A  man 
who  will  not  receive  Christ  into  his  heart  is  like 
a  patient  in  the  hospital  who  refuses  to  take  the 
physician's  remedy.  The  physician  says  :  "  Your 
malady,  if  left  to  itself,  will  kill  you,  but  take 
this,  and  you  will  undoubtedly  recover."  If  he 
refuse,  his  death  is  his  own  fault ;  so  is  it  with 
the  sinner.  It  is  true  that  he  is  in  himself 
utterly  lost,  but  Christ  hastens  to  him,  saying  : 
I  am  come  to  SAVE  THE  lost.  If,  therefore, 
the  sinner  finally  rejects  Christ,  his  doom  is  for 
ever  sealed,  there  remains  no  other  sacrifice 
for  sin. 

Secondly  :  That  which  cured  the  Israelites  was 
something  OUTSIDE  of  themselves:  they  were  to 
look  K^W  from  themselves  at  the  brasen  serpent ; 
sOy  toOf  tJie  sinner  is  not  commanded  to  look  at 
himself  for  healing,  but  to  Christ  on  the  Cross. 

Most  people  look  to  the  wrong  place  for 
salvation — to  themselves  rather  than  to  Christ. 


CROSS  OF  CHRIST  AND  REGENERATION,  (jfj 


con- 
;ved 

rod." 
LT  is 
:ness 
svil" 
3,  no 

man 
>  like 
e  the 
Your 

take 
If  he 
with 
imself 
ying : 
refore, 

is  for 

crifice 

es  was 
vere  to 
rpent ; 
look  at 
ross, 
ice  for 
Christ. 


I 
■« 

■I 

I 


I  would  class  error  here  under  two  heads  :  firsts 
those  who  cannot  believe  that  Christ's  death 
NOW  avails  for  them,  because  they  do  not  im- 
mediately see  in  themselves  a  holy  and  renewed 
life.  Such  people  ignore  the  fact  that  this  holy 
and  renewed  life  can  only  be  the  RESULT  of 
salvation  by  faith ;  it  does  not  go  before^  it 
follows  after.  St.  Paul,  writing  to  the  Ephesians, 
says :  "  In  whom  also  ufter  that  ye  believed^  ye 
were  sealed  with  that  Holy  Spirit  of  promise." 
The  Holy  Spirit  came  permanently  to  dwell  in 
them  AFTER  they  had  believed  in  Christ.  Let 
this  be  clearly  borne  in  mind,  for  when  men 
seek  for  rectitude  of  life  they  are  only  seeking 
that  which  in  itself  is  most  commendable.  But 
the  question  is — How  is  it  to  be  obtained  ?  Let 
us  suppose  you  have  taken  part  in  an  unsuc- 
cessful rebellion.  As  a  necessary  result  of  your 
conduct  your  life  is  forfeit  to  the  crown  ;  to  save 
yourself,  you  fly  to  a  foreign  country  and  there 
remain.  At  last,  growing  weary  of  exile,  you 
say  :  "  I  would  like  to  go  back  and  live  as  a 
peaceable  subject  in  my  own  land,"  but  your 
friends  warn  you  that  it  will  be  death  for  you  to 
return  until  you  can  first  have  the  ban  removed. 
The  crown  has  condemned  you  to  death,  and 
until  that  sentence  has  been  revoked  you  cannot 


68 


LIFE  IN  A  LOOK. 


possibly  return.  First  have  the  ban  cancelled, 
and  then  return.  So  is  it  with  the  soul.  "  He 
that  believeth  not  the  Son  shall  iiot  see  life  ; 
but  the  WRATH  OF  God  abideth  on  him" 
(John  iii.  36).  This  is  God's  sentence  on  all  out 
of  Christ.  You  ask  for  rectitude  of  life ;  this  is 
well,  but  before  you  can  obtain  grace  to  walk 
acceptably  with  God  you  must  first  have  this 
awful  sentence  of  wrath  removed,  and  this  most 
certainly  will  be  the  case  when,  as  an  utterly 
lost  sinner,  you  look  away  to  Christ  and  believe 
on  Him  as  God's  propitiation  for  your  sins. 
Secondly^  those  who  say  that,  because  they  can- 
not feel  the  truth  of  the  Gospel  in  their  heart, 
therefore  they  cannot  accept  it.  This  is  like 
a  man  with  small-pox  saying  he  does  not  feel 
strong  and  well,  and  therefore  refuses  to  take 
the  doctor's  medicine.  The  man  is  siv~k  and 
cannot  possibly  feel  anything  else  than  sick ; 
and  the  soul  which  is  under  the  wrath  of  God 
cannot  possibly  feel  the  peace  of  acceptance  in 
the  Beloved  when  that  peace  has  not  yet  been 
secured.  Therefore  God  does  not  ask  you  to 
look  in  for  feeling,  but  out  of  you  to  Christ  for 
salvation.  Salvation  in  Scripture  is  never  once 
made  to  rest  on  feelings  but  on  the  finished  work 
of  Christ  alone ;  and  that  this  glorious  work  of 


CROSS  OF  CHRIST  AND  REGENERATION.  69 


lied, 

'He 

life ; 

[IM" 

I  out 

lis  is 

walk 

;  this 

most 

tterly 

slieve 

sins. 
J  can- 
heart, 
s  like 
)t  feel 
►  take 
«   and 

sick ; 
f  God 
lince  in 
t  been 
you  to 
rist  for 
;r  once 
d  work 
vork  of 


Christ  saves  us  we  KNOW  by  virtue  of  God's 
written  word.  Christ  says  to  you ;  "  Verily, 
verily,  I  say  unto  you,  he  that  believeth  on  Me 
HATH  everlasting  life."  When,  therefore,  you 
believe  on  Him  as  one  who  has  saved  you  by 
His  death,  you  clearly  know  you  are  saved, 
simply  because  His  word  says  so.  There  may 
be  at  first  but  little  joy,  or,  on  the  contrary, 
there  may  be  much.  A  great  deal  will  depend 
both  on  temperament  and  on  the  appreciatio*.* 
which  a  man  has  of  the  gift  he  has  just  obtained. 
What  is  PROMISED  to  every  soul  who  believes 
in  Jesus  Christ,  is  everlasting  life.  When  once 
he  is  saved  he  is  COMMANDED  to  rejoice. 

Thirdly :  There  was  life  in  a  look  at  tJte  brazen 
serpent:  there  is  ETERNAL  life  in  looking  unto 
Christ. 

The  bitten  Israelite  lay  dying  in  the  dust ; 
his  flesh  is  swollen,  his  skm  turned  black  ;  his 
tongue  parched  with  thirst ;  life  fast  ebbing 
from  him.  Suddenly  the  cry  is  heard,  "  Look 
and  live."  *♦  Where  }  "  he  asks,  "  where  ? "  They 
point  him  to  the  brazen  serpent  as  it  glitters  in 
the  sunlight,  and  say,  "  There !  "  In  an  instant 
his  fading  sight  is  turned  toward  it,  and  with 
a  rush,  the  warm,  healthy  life-blood  mantles  to 
his  cheek,  the  poison  vanishes,  he   knows  not 


;o 


LIFE  IN  A  LOOK. 


I 


I 


where,  and  to  his  feet  he  springs  rescued  from 
the  very  jaws  of  death.  So  is  it  with  the  lost 
soul  who  looks  to  Christ ;  salvation  comes  to 
him  in  the  look.  The  bitten  Israelite  could  not 
possibly  help  himself;  every  moment  the  poison 
spread  further  and  death  came  nearer.  The 
physician  could  not  heal  him ;  no  medicine,  no 
burning,  no  amputation  could  arrest  its  terrible 
progress,  or  keep  back  the  approach  of  death. 
God  alone  could  help  him  ;  and  God  did  help 
him,  and  by  this  typical  serpent  save  him.  Now 
our  Lord  says  this  brazen  serpent  was  an  exact 
representation  of  the  way  in  which  He  saves 
and  regenerates  the  soul.  I  suppose  you,  dear 
reader,  to  be  one  who  has  not  yet  been  saved. 
You  need  the  pardon  of  your  sins — eternal  life, 
the  new  birth,  in  fact,  everything.  Like  the 
dying  Israelite,  you  are  utterly  unable  to  save 
yourself,  and  therefore,  just  because  of  this  utter 
helplessness — this  extremity  of  misery  and  woe 
— God  has  exajj:ed  His  Son  Jesus  Christ  to  give 
you  salvation  to  the  uttermost,  and  to  place  you 
as  an  heir  in  the  kingdom  of  His  glory.  Point- 
ing you,  therefore,  to  Christ  on  the  Cross  as  His 
eternal  satisfaction  for  sin,  and  knowing  all  your 
need,  He  says :  "  Behold  the  Lamb  of  God," 
LOOK  UNTO  Him  and  live.     Complete  healing 


Hi   ' 


I  I 


I  \ 


CROSS  OF  CHRIST  AND   REGENERATION.   71 


d  from 
le  lost 
mes  to 
nld  not 

poison 
The 
:ine,  no 
terrible 

death. 
id  help 
Now 
n  exact 
^e  saves 
3u,  dear 
1  saved, 
•nal  life, 
,ike   the 
to  save 
his  utter 
and  woe 
t  to  give 
lace  you 
Point- 
;s  as  His 

all  your 
of  God," 
t  healing 


came  to  the  Israelite  from  looking  to  the  serpent : 
infinite  salvation  will  come  to  you  from  looking 
to  Christ.  By  this  I  mean  that  look  of  faith 
which,  on  the  authority  of  Holy  Writ,  sees  in 
Christ  on  the  Cross  infinite  satisfaction  for  all 
your  sins — instantaneous  life  for  your  soul.  And 
now,  just  to  make  this  glorious  truth  clearer  to 
you,  I  will  state  two  things  of  great  importance  : 
Why  you  should  look  to  Christ,  and  how  you 
should  look.  First,  because  in  the  death  of  our 
Lord  an  infinite  satisfaction  was  made  for  all 
your  sins.  Sin  demands  punishment.  The  law 
of  God,  holy,  just,  and  good,  cries  out  for  ven- 
geance on  all  who  break  its  precepts.  You  have 
broken  them  times  without  number,  and  there- 
fore your  life  is  forfeit  to  the  law.  How,  then, 
will  you  be  freed  from  your  sins .?  The  Scripture 
says :  "  Without  shedding  of  blood  is  NO  RE- 
MISSION "  (Heb.  ix.  22) ;  and  the  blood  which 
alone  remits  is  the  BLOOD  OF  Christ.  Here 
then,  on  the  Cross,  Christ  bore  to  the  full  all  the 
sins  of  those  who  had  believed  or  should  in  after 
ages  believe  on  Him.  Here  too,  on  this  same 
Cross,  for  their  healing  was  He  wounded.  Isaiah 
sums  it  all  up  in  two  sublime  verses :  "  All  we, 
like  sheep,  have  gone  astray ;  we  have  turned 
every  one  to  his  own  way,  and  the  Lord  hath 


'  1 1 


lihi  i:' 
in  li 


72 


UFF  I^ 


JjyjK, 


i\      I 


•I 


'li 


I 


ji 


li 


'lilt 


LAID  ON  Him  the  inl^uvry  of  us  all."  It  was 
therefore  God  who  laid  our  sins  ;  Christ,  and 
burdened  Him  with  the  weight  of  our  iniquities. 
In  the  fifth  verse  we  have  given  us  the  reason  of 
Christ's  death  on  the  Cross  :  "  He  was  wounded 
for  our  transgressions,  He  was  bruised  for  our 
iniquities,  the  chastisement  of  our  peace  was 
upon  Him;  and  with  His  STRIPES  WE  ARE 
HEALED  "  {Isa.  liii.  5,  6).  On  the  Cross,  there- 
fore, our  glorious  Redeemer  presented  His  owft 
righteousness  for  acceptance,  and  our  sins  for 
punishment ;  and  God  the  Father  accepted  this 
awful  death  as  the  eternal  propitiation,  or  satis- 
faction, not  only  for  the  sins  of  His  own  people, 
but  also  fo;:  the  sins  of  THE  WHOLE  WORLD 
(i  John  ii.  2).  "  Christ,  by  the  grace  of  God, 
tasted  death  FOR  EVERY  MAN  "  (Heb.  ii.  9),  and 
therefore  there  was  no  one  who  ever  did  live,  or 
no  one  who  ever  s/ia/l  live,  for  whom  Christ  did 
not  die.  Look  then,  dear  reader,  to  Him.  Here 
in  Christ's  DEATH  is  God's  satisfaction  for  all 
your  sins.  He  will,  according  to  His  own  word, 
accept  this  death  as  the  full  remission  of  all 
your  guilt,  as  your  title  to  sonship,  and  inheri- 
tance to  glory,  provided  only  this  day  you  thus 
accept  Him  by  faith.  Secondly,  /ww  you  are  to 
accept  Him  :  by  simple  faith,  "  For  by  grace  are 


^  ^ 


X  was 

It,  and 
[uities. 
son  of 
unded 
or  our 
:e  was 
E    ARE 

there- 
[is  own 
ins  for 
ed  this 
r  satis- 
people, 
iVORLD 
►f  God, 
9),  and 
live,  or 
rist  did 
Here 

for  all 
n  word, 
i   of  all 

inheri- 
ou  thus 
u  are  to 
race  are 


CROSS  OF  CHRIb'i   AND  REGENERATION.  73 

ye  saved  THROUGH  faith,"  nothing  more.  You 
wish  to  draw  nigh  to  God.  Scripture  says  you 
may  assuredly  do  so  through  Jesus  Christ. 
Before  you  now.  He  stands  the  Lamb  of  God 
for  sinners  slain.  God  asks  you  simply  to  believe 
on  Him  and  live  for  ever.  Can  you  not  there- 
fore say  :  O  Lord,  I  do  from  my  heart  believe 
that  Thou  by  this  Thine  awful  death  dost  NOW 
SAVE  ME  FROM  DEATH,  and  that  Thy  perfect 
righteousness  is  accepted  by  the  Father  for  me ; 
and  with  my  mouth  I  do  confess  that  Thou  art 
my  Saviour,  who  hast  redeemed  me  with  Thy 
precious  blood,  whereof  the  Father  hath  given 
proof  in  that  He  raised  Thee  from  the  dead. 
This  is  Scriptural  faith,  and  this  is  all  God  asks 
of  you  in  order  to  be  saved.  It  is  not  therefore 
faith  in  yourself  faith  in  your  resolutions  of 
amendment,  faith  in  any  effort  you  may  make, 
but  faith  in  Christ — in  His  work,  in  His  word. 
God  will  not  save  you  for  what  you  are,  but  for 
what  Christ  is,  and  therefore  the  Holy  Ghost 
asks  you  to  look  with  faith  to  Christ  on  the 
Cross  and  with  the  whole  heart  believe  that 
there  Christ  tasted  death  FOR  YOU. 

And  when,  dear  reader,  you  do  so  look,  you 
will  not  only  be  eternally  saved,  but  BORN 
AGAIN,  that  is,  the  Blood  of  the  Lord  Jesus  will 


I  - 


I:  ll 


liiu 


''J 


« 1 1 

I       I 
1  I 
I    ■ 


!i 


i 


IJI   n 


74 


LIFE  IN  A  LOOK. 


not  only  wash  away  your  sins,  and  His  righteous- 
ness be  made  the  ground  of  your  justification,  but 
your  soul  will  then  be  QUICKENED  by  the  power 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  working  in  you  through  Jesus 
Christ.  Nicodemus  wished  to  know  how  a  man 
could  be  born  again.  Our  Lord  brings  back  to 
his  mind  the  grand  old  historical  scene  of  the 
brazen  serpent,  and  then  tells  him  :  "  EVEN  SO 
must  the  Son  of  Man  be  lifted  up  :  that  whoso- 
ever believeth  in  Him  should  not  perish,  but 
have  eternal  life."  Now  Christ  has  not  only  life 
in  Htmself,  but  He  has  power  to  quicken  or 
give  life  to  all  who  believe  on  Him.  He  is  the 
"Bread  that  giveth  life,"  and  therefore 
whosoever  believingly  looks  to  Him,  is  at  that 
instant,  by  Him,  quickened  into  spiritual  life. 
There  is  at  that  moment  created  within  him  the 
new  heart  of  which  Ezekiel  speaks  ;  the  new  man 
of  whom  St.  Paul  speaks  ;  in  other  words,  he  is 
born  again,  and  has  undergone  that  great  change 
without  which  no  man  can  see  the  kingdom 
of  God.  Understand,  therefore,  that  salvation 
is  not  merely  the  pardon  of  our  sins,  and  the 
promise  of  infinite  blessings  in  the  future.  It  is 
far  more :  it  is  at  once  the  eternal  remission  of 
our  sins  by  virtue  of  the  sacrifice  of  Christ— the 
being  formally  pronounced  righteous  by  reason 


I 


CROSS  or  CHRIST  AND  REGENERATION.  7$ 


iteous- 
on,  but 
I  power 
h  Jesus 

a  man 
back  to 

of  the 
VEN  SO 

whoso- 
ish,  but 
only  life 
icken  or 
ie  is  the 
therefore 
J  at  that 
itual  life. 
1  him  the 

neiv  man 
)rds,  he  is 
at  change 

kingdom 

salvation 
is,  and  the 
ure.  It  is 
;mission  of 
:hrist-the 
,  by  reason 


of  the  perfect  obedience  of  Christ  reckoned  to 
us,  and,  at  the  same  time,  the  creation  within  lis 
of  a  new  heart  in  righteousness  and  true  holiness. 
This  new  and  God-loving  heart  comes  to  us 
from  Christ  through  the  power  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  and  takes  place  whenever  the  sinner  tiies 
to  Christ  and  believes  on  Him. 

To  conclude — this  salvation  is  INSTAN- 
TANEOUS. The  instant  the  dying  Israelite 
looked  to  the  brazen  serpent  he  was  made  well  ; 
and  the  instant  a  sinner  from  the  heart  believes 
in  Christ  he  is  eternally  saved.  But  many  say : 
How  is  this  possible  ? — has  not  repentance  to 
come  in  first,  and  is  not  repentance  deep  and 
prolonged  sorrow  for  sin  } — if  it  be  such,  how 
can  salvation  by  any  possibility  lie  instan- 
taneous ?  In  reply  I  must  say  that,  certainly,  if 
by  repentance  were  meant  "  deep  and  prolonged 
sorrow  for  sin,"  then  tiie  statement  that  salva- 
tion is  a  gift  instantaneously  conferred,  could 
not  be  maintained  ;  but  that  life  is  so  conferred 
is  the  emphatic  teaching  of  our  Lord  in  His 
conversation  with  Nicodcmus,  as  well  as  in  His 
repeated  statem.ents  throughout  the  whole  Gospel 
of  St.  John.  The  question  then  is,  What  is 
meant  by  repentance  ? 

By  repentance  in  Scripture  is  meant  an  afXer 


»] 


*  If 

1  I 


i!ii 


I   I  MM 


76 


LIFE  IN  A  LOOK. 


.)  i 


mind  or  thought ;  hence  a  change  of  mind.  Thus 
Esau  found  no  place  of  repentance,  though  he 
sought  it  carefully  with  tears.  His  anxiety  was 
to  induce  his  father  to  give  him  the  blessing 
he  had  already  bestowed  on  Jacob.  This  Isaac 
would  not  do,  and  Esau  could  not  make  him 
repent  or  cJiange  his  mind.  So,  too,  in  the  case 
of  the  two  sons  (Matt.  xxi.  28-32).  One  son 
said,  I  will  not,  but  afterward  he  repented  and 
went — that  is,  on  reflection,  he  saw  he  had  done 
wrongly,  and  this  change  of  mind  led  him  to 
change  of  conduct.  Repentance  is  therefore  not 
mere  sorrow  for  sin  ;  it  is  a  change  of  mind 
leading  to  a  change  of  conduct.  Now  the  point 
I  wish  you  especially  to  observe  is  this: — 
Repentance  does  not  of  itself  and  by  itseli  mean 
sorrow.  There  may,  or  there  may  not  be,  deep 
grief  connected  with  repentance  ;  all  depends  on 
God's  individual  dealing  with  the  soul.  In  some 
instances  there  may  be  nothing  experienced  save 
unafifectedyi?;',  and  in  such  cases  the  repentance 
is  just  as  real,  as  true,  and  as  much  "  unto  life," 
as  in  those  instances  where  there  is  nothing  but 
the  deepest  grief.  All  I  wish  you  to  notice  is — 
repentance  does  not  of  itself  mean  sorrow  on  the 
one  hand,  nor  joy  on  the  other,  but  that  change 
of  mind  which  leads  to  a  total  change  of  con 


iiii 


CROSS  OF  CHRIST  AND   REGENERATION,   yj 


duct.      This   will  be   seen    more  clearly   if  we 
consider  the  following  facts : — 

First,  man's  mind  needs  to  be  wholly  changed. 
Man  is  by  nature  wholly  wrong  in  all  his  ideas 
about  God,  about  Satan,  about  the  world,  and 
even  about  himself.  This  is  the  result  of  the 
fall,  by  which  his  mind  has  been  made  not  only 
dark,  but  very  darkness  itself.  "  Ye  were  some- 
times darkness^'  says  St.  Paul,  in  writing  to  the 
Ephesians,  "  but  now  are  ye  light  in  the  Lord." 
The  result  of  all  ignorance  is,  that  people  believe 
the  suggestions  of  Satan  and  the  promptings  of 
their  own  heart,  and  thus  entertain  a  thousand 
wrong  ideas  about  God  and  the  way  of  salva- 
tion. What  people  therefore  need  is,  to  have 
God's  glorious  Gospel  preached  to  them — that 
is,  the  revelation  of  His  will,  in  order  that  they 
may  see  how  wrong  all  their  ideas  are.  When, 
then,  a  man  on  this  renresentation  of  the  truth 
changes  his  mind  about  God  and  His  Son  Jesus 
Christ,  this  is  repentance  toward  God.  Take 
for  instance  the  case  of  St  Peter's  sermon  on 
the  day  of  Pentecost.  When  the  Apostle  had 
proved  to  them  tha*:  they  had  been  guilty  of 
crucifying  the  Lord  of  life  and  glory,  they  were 
overwhelmed  with  grief ;  they  cried  out,  "  What 
must   we  do  to  be  saved  ? "     Now   this  deep 


;  1 


r  ' 


^  hi 


i 


ii 


'lis 


m 


7S 


LIFE  IN  A  LOOK. 


sorro'.v  and  unfeigned  remorse  is  just  what  many 
would  call  repentance ;  but  the  Apostle,  so  far 
from  calling  it  repentance,  says :  "  Repent  and 
be  baptized  every  one  of  you."  What  he  meant 
to  convey  was,  that  inasmuch  as  these  people 
knew  nothing  of  God  as  reconciled  in  Jesus 
Christ — nothing  about  salvation  being  wholly 
completed  on  the  Cross — nothing,  in  fact,  about 
Cod  or  about  themselves — therefore  they  should 
immediately  repent,  that  is,  not  give  way  to  wild 
despair,  or  go  about  seeking  to  establish  their 
own  righteousness,  but,  on  the  representation  of 
the  Gospel,  change  their  minds  and  see  God  as 
willing  to  receive  them  into  favour  through  the 
merits  of  His  dear  Son. 

Secondly,  repentance  is  always  in  close  con- 
nection with  faith ;  that  is,  repentance  towards 
God  always  occurs  at  the  same  time  as  faith  in 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Every  passage  in  the 
word  of  God  in  which  salvation  is  said  to  be 
instantaneously  conferred  on  him  that  believeth 
proves  this.  Take,  for  instance,  the  following 
passagr  :  "The  hour  is  coming,  and  now  is, 
when  the  dead  shall  hear  the  voice  of  the  Son  of 
God,  and  they  that  hear  shall  live."  V  %  if 
repentance  is  to  come  in  at  all,  and  we  know  it 
is  indispensable,  it  must  come  in  between  death 


t&A^ 


CROSS  OF  CHRIST  AND  REGENERATION.   79 


and  life ;  the  dead  are  to  hear^  and  when  they 
hear  they  are  to  live.  Nothing  is  mentioned  but 
hearing,  that  is,  with  faith,  for  Christ  says : 
"Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  he  that  BE- 
TJEVETH  ON  Me  hath  EVERLASTING  LIFE." 
It  follows,  therefore,  that  this  hearing  is  be- 
lieving, and  that  this  believing  must  and  does 
include  REPENTANCE.  St.  Paul,  however,  dis- 
tinctly tells  us  what  repentance  is,  and  when  it 
occurs.  Writing  to  Timothy,  he  tells  him  that 
*'  the  servant  of  the  Lord  must  in  meekness 
instruct  those  who  oppose  themselves  ;  if  God, 
peradventure,  will  give  them  repentance  to  the 
acknowledging  of  the  trnth'^  (2  Tim.  ii.  25). 
Here  we  see  repentance  is  the  acknowledging 
the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus,  and  so  acknowledging 
it  as  to  believe  in  it  with  the  heart,  and  thus  to 
be  made  new  by  its  power. 

Thirdly,  repentance  is  not  always  accom- 
panied by  sorrow.  People  say :  Does  not  the 
Scripture  affirm  that  "  godly  sorrow  worketh 
repentance  to  salvation  not  to  be  repented  of"  } 
Certainly  it  does ;  and  wherever  God  works 
deep  grief  in  a  man's  soul  for  his  sins,  it  is 
a  blessed  thing,  for  it  will  surely  lead  him  to 
Christ.  But  God's  ways  are  not  uniform  in 
dealing  with  the  soul.     On  some  minds  the  light 


Bo 


LIFE  IN  A  LOOK. 


m 

3       i:! 


i        ! 


:i 


■i.i 


11 


1 


!  • 


gradually  arises  as  a  glorious  truth,  filling  the 
soul  with  joy  unspeakable,  and  in  this  instance 
the  repentance  is  just  as  deep,  just  as  real,  as 
in  the  case  where  there  is  the  most  unfeigned 
sorrow.  Repentance  is  not  joy  or  sorrow,  it  is 
that  change  of  mind  which  leads  to  tht»  acknow- 
ledgment of  the  truth.  The  Ethiopian  did  not 
understand  the  Prophet  Isaiah  ;  but  Philip, 
having  been  taken  up  into  his  chariot,  explains 
to  him  the  salvation  of  Christ.  On  this  the 
eunuch  repents,  that  is,  acknowledges  to  the  full 
the  truth  he  has  heard,  anc  joyfully  believing  in 
Christ,  is  immediately  baptized.  This  was  a 
change  of  mind  to  the  acknowledgment  of  the 
truth,  which  is  true  repentance.  It  took  place  at 
the  same  time  as  when  by  faith  he  grasped 
Christ ;  for  there  can  be  no  repentance  towards 
God  separate  from  faith  in  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ. 

How  different  is  all  this  from  what  is  generally 
advanced  concerning  repentance.  According  to 
the  popular  idea,  repentance  is  a  period  of  in- 
tense suffering  on  account  of  sin  through  which 
a  man  must  pass  before  he  can  be  saved  ;  and 
furthermore,  that  this  intense  sorrow  causes 
God's  favour  to  shine  upon  us,  and  is  in  itself 
one  of  the  main  reasons  why  God  pardons  us. 


11/ 


i    I 


CROSS  OF  CHRIST  AND  REGENERATION.  8i 


ling  the 
instance 

real,  as 
nfeigned 
row,  it  is 
acknow- 

did  not 

Philip. 

explains 

this  the 

0  the  full 
ieving  in 
is  was  a 
nt  of  the 
|c  place  at 

1  grasped 
e  towards 
3rd  Jesus 

generally 
cording  to 
iod  of  in- 
ugh  which 
ived  ;  and 
DW  causes 
is  in  itself 
ardons  us. 


Now  nothing  could  be  more  thoroughly  destruc- 
tive of  the  Gospel  than  this  impression.  It  leads 
people  to  look  into  themselves  for  feelings  rather 
than  up  to  Christ  for  salvation  ;  it  drives  them 
to  despair  on  the  one  hand,  or  to  utter  indiffer- 
ence on  the  other  ;  for,  after  seeking  in  vain 
for  feelings  which  never  can  be  in  the  fallen 
heart,  unless  God  especially  put  them  there,  they 
give  up  all  for  lost.  Others  put  off  coming  to 
Christ  until  some  time  when  they  hope  to  feel 
a  sorrow  for  sin  which  they  do  not  at  the 
present.  It  inverts  the  whole  order  of  God's 
economy  as  illustrated  by  the  brazen  serpent ; 
for  it  makes  a  man  to  a  very  large  extent  his 
own  healer  rather  than  Christ,  and  thus  turns 
away  his  eyes  from  that  glorious  Being  whom 
God  has  exalted  for  our  salvation.  Under- 
stand, therefore,  I  do  not  depreciate  sorrow  ;  on 
the  contrary,  whenever  it  comes  from  God  it 
works  repentance  unto  salvation.  So,  too,  does 
the  "  goodness  of  God  "  (Rom.  ii.  4)  effect  the 
same  All  I  wish  to  say  is ;  repentance  is  in 
itself  neither  joy  nor  sorrow.  There  may  be, 
by  God's  ruling  in  individual  cases,  intense  sor- 
row for  sin,  as  the  soul  comes  into  the  full  and 
glorious  light ,  or,  there  may  be,  on  the  other 
hand,  intense  joy  ;  but,  whether  joy  or  sorrow, 

F 


I 


(  'I 


■I  'I 


33 


LIFE  IN  A  LOOK. 


repentance  takes  place  in  both,  and  !s  a^  real  in 
the  one  case  as  in  the  other.  Repentance — ^to 
sum  up  all  I  have  said — is  that  change  of  mind 
which  takes  place  in  every  man  who  having  had 
wrong  ideas  about  God,  about  the  redemption 
of  Christ,  about  himself,  is  led,  through  the 
revelation  of  the  Gospel,  to  see  his  error  and 
believe  in  Christ.  Repentance,  therefore,  toward 
God  is  that  cJiange  of  mind  which  is  inseparably 
connected  with  FAITH  IN  CHRIST,  and  is  always 
followed  by  a  change  of  life.  What  is  the 
practical  effect  of  all  this  ?  It  is  that  the  poor 
sinner  can  be  saved — and  God  means  that  he 
should  be  saved — directly  and  instantaneously 
by  the  Saviour.  God  points  you,  dear  reader, 
to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  on  the  Cross,  and  says : 
Look,  believe,  and  live.  Should  you  ask : 
What  am  I  to  believe?  I  answer — That  all 
that  was  necessary  for  your  eternal  redemption 
was  FINISHED  there ;  that  there  you  see  Christ 
TASTING  DEATH  FOR  YOU,  SO  that  nothing  re- 
mains but  for  you  to  receive  salvation  as  a  gift. 
\^zxi  ycu  not  NOW  look  up  and  live  for  ever  ? 
believing  that  He  by  His  death  saves  you  from 
death,  ?n^!  that  here?  fter  He  will  be  your  eternal 
Frierid,  your  Saviour,  and  your  God.  Hesitate 
ft  >t.     Look  not  to  your  ftelings,  but  up  alone 


|l,l.i;':l 


CROSS  OF  CHRIST  AND  REGENERATION.  S3 


93  f  eal  in 
tance — ^to 
»  of  mind 
laving  had 
edemption 
rough  the 

error  and 
ore,  toward 
inseparably 
d  is  always 
^hat  is  the 
at  the  poor 
ins  that  he 
antaneously 
lear  reader, 
s,  and  says : 
d  you  ask : 
jr— That  all 
i  redemption 

see  Christ 
:  nothing  re- 
ion  as  a  gift. 
\iQ  for  ever? 
ves  you  from 
;  your  eternal 
5d.  Hesitate 
but  up  alone 


to  this  glorious  Redeemer,  and  if  this  day  you 
set  to  your  seal  that  God  is  true  by  accepting 
Christ  as  the  one  whose  death  and  righteous- 
ness have  procured  your  salvation,  this  day,  God's 
word  declares,  will  you  pass  from  death  unto 
life,  and  this  day  be  written  among  the  living. 

I  sometimes  wonder  how  people  can  entertain 
doubts  as  to  the  ability  of  Christ  to  save  them. 
It  is  like  a  man  coming  to  a  dead  halt  before 
London  bridge:  hundreds  of  heavy  wagons  laden 
with  merchandise,  beside  carriages  and  foot 
passengers,  are  hurrying  over,  as  they  have  for 
years  gone  by,  and  yet  he  stands  afraid  to  trust 
himself  upon  the  bridge.  The  policeman  asks 
him  to  "  move  on,"  but  he  still  hesitates,  and 
tells  him  he  fears  the  bridge  will  not  bear  him. 
"  The  man's  mad,"  mutters  the  policeman,  and 
leaves  him  to  himself.  And  can  you  doubt, 
dear  reader,  the  power  of  Christ's  death  to  save 
you  to  the  uttermost?  Has  not  that  blood 
saved  Paul,  the  chiefest  of  sinners  }  Has  it  not 
washed  away  the  defilement  of  all  God's  people? 
Has  it  not  obtained  peace  for  all  God's  waiting 
people  ?  and  have  not  all  their  burdens,  their 
sins,  their  sorrows,  and  their  cares  been  fully 
borne  by  Him  ?  And  are  YOU  afraid  to  cast 
your  weary  heart,  laden  though   it  be  with  sins, 


84 


LIFE  IN  A  LOOK. 


I  » 


u 


upon  Him,  and  believe  that  NOW  His  mighty 
sacrifice  avails  for  your  instantaneous  salvation  f 
Have  you  discovered  faults  in  Him  whom  God 
has  pronounced  faultless  ?  Or,  does  not  that 
satisfy  YOU  which  satisfied  GOD  ?  No,  dear 
reader,  hesitate  not.  Do  not  look  into  the 
future^  and  sadly  hope  that  in  some  as  yet  un- 
reached time  God  will  make  with  you  a  treaty 
of  peace  ;  but,  standing  before  the  awful  sacri- 
fice of  the  death  of  Christ,  believe  that  HERE 
thy  soul  finds  life  ;  that  here  CHRIST,  by  this 
tremendous  death,  FOR  EVER  PUTS  AWAY  THY 
SINS. 

"  Come,  now,  and  let  us  reason  together,  saith 
the  Lord :  though  your  sins  be  as  SCARLET, 
they  shall  be  as  WHITE  AS  SNOW  ;  though  they 
be  RED  LIKE  CRIMSON,  THEY  shall  be  as  WOOL  " 
(Isa.  i.  1 8). 


ill  ''' 


IM!   \ 


■  {'< 


;  ''I 


■I  »i 

Isi  ■ 


f    '  : 


CONCLUSION. 


LOOKING  UNTO  JESUS;  OR,  GROWTH  IN  GRACE. 

|OR  the  comfort  of  those  who  have  already 
looked  believingly  to  Christ,  I  will  now 
subjoin  a  few  reflections  on  the  mode 
in  which  we  are  to  grow  in  grace. 

First,  by  duly  appreciating  the  sanctification 
ALREADY  obtained  for  us,  through  the  offering 
of  the  body  of  Jesus  Christ,  once  for  all. 

The  believer  is  the  subject  of  two  sanctifica- 
tions  ;  one  already  and  absolutely  perfect,  the 
other  progressive.  The  first  is  that  sanctifica- 
tion which  all  believers  have  in  virtue  of  their 
union  with  Christ,  by  which  they  are  eternally 
set  free  from  the  dominion  of  sin,  and  made 
holy  by  the  holiness  of  His  blood.  The  second 
is  that  progressive  work  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in 
the  heart  by  which  the  believer  is  daily  brought 
into  closer  subjection  to  the  will  of  God.  Let 
us  now  briefly  consider  the  first. 

In  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  there  are  three 
remarkable  statements  made  about   sanctifica- 

»$ 


II  i 


:.,| 


J,-!! 


!i 


!| 


■!■! 
I   ' 


86 


LIFE  IN   A  LOOK. 


I  M 


i  ' 


•i 


'It 


tion :  first,  that  "  both  He  that  sanctifieth  and 
they  who  are  sanctified  are  all  OF  ONE  "  (Heb. 
ii.  ii).  This  implies  the  perfect  and  eternal 
union  which  exists  between  Christ  and  His 
people,  as  is  clearly  seen  by  referring  to  verse  14, 
which  declares  that  as  the  children  are  par- 
takers of  flesh  and  blood,  He  also  Himself  like- 
wise took  part  of  the  same.  Secondly,  that  the 
sanct  jication  of  the  believer  was  the  result  of 
the  will  of  the  Father,  that  is,  according  to  His 
purposes  in  grace ;  and,  furthermore,  that  this 
sanctification  \  as  efifected  through  the  offering 
of  the  body  ot  Jesus  Christ,  once  for  all.  The 
words  of  the  text  are  as  follows  :  "  In  which  will 
we  HAVE  BEEN  SANCTIFIED  through  the  offering 
of  the  body  of  Jesus  Christ,  once  for  all "  (Chap. 
X.  10,  Alford).  Believers  being,  as  we  have  just 
learned,  one  with  Christ,  rest  for  ever  in  all  the 
blessed  and  abiding  consequences  of  that  eternal 
offering  by  which  He  both  washed  away  their 
sins  and  consecrated  them  to  the  service  of  God. 
By  that  offering  they  have  been  sanctified,  that 
is,  they  have  been  once  and  for  ever  WASHED  ; 
once  and  for  ever  SEPARATED ;  once  and  for 
ever  CONSECRATED  ;  and  once  and  for  ever 
MADE  HOLY  by  the  sprinkling  of  Christ'55  blood. 
By  the  offering  of  the  l^ody  of  Je.sus  Christ  the 


^W\\\ 


iii,-.  .i , 


LOOKING  UNTO  JESUS. 


87 


sanctification  of  the  believer  is  absolutely  com- 
plete, in  that  he  occupies  a  place  of  holy  separa- 
tion from  the  service  of  sin,  and  stands  now,  as 
he  shall  alway  stand,  perfect  in  the  righteous- 
ness of  Christ,  and  holy  with  the  holiness  of  that 
blood  by  which  he  is  sprinkled.  This  truth  is 
forcibly  brought  out  in  verse  14 :  "  For  by  one 
offering  He  hath  PERFECTED  FOR  EVER  them 
who  are  sanctified."  However  poor  and  un- 
worthy a  believer  may  be  in  himself — and  the 
more  we  grow  in  grace  the  more  will  the  sense 
of  our  unworthiness  crowd  itself  upon  us — 
yet,  as  sanctified  through  the  offering  of  the 
body  of  Jesus  Christ,  he  is  both  beautiful  and 
precious  in  the  Father's  sight.  He  is  beautiful 
because  Christ's  righteousness  covers  him,  and 
he  is  precious  by  virtue  of  that  precious  blood 
by  which  he  is  sprinkled ;  for  by  that  one 
offering  he  has  been  perfected  for  ever. 

The  third  statement  in  Hebrews  concerning 
sanctification  by  Christ  is  as  follows :  *'  For  the 
bodies  of  those  beasts  whose  blood  is  brought 
into  the  sanctuary  by  the  high  priest  for  sin, 
are  burned  without  the  camp.  Wherefore 
Jesus  also,  that  He  might  sanctify  the  people 
with  His  own  blood,  suffered  without  the  gate. 
Let  us  go  forth  therefore  unto  Him  without  the 


ii 


i^: 


[[4 


'Wi 


■ll'i'     ! 


i'l 

it 

I.  .1,' 


llil! 
Ill 


88 


LIFE  IN  A  LOOK. 


camp,  bearing  His  reproach"  (Chap.  xiii.  11-13). 
That  is,  Christ,  in  order  that  He  might  be  a 
perfect  sin-offering  for  His  people,  consented  to 
suffer  without  the  gate.  He  voluntarily  took 
the  place  of  shame  and  reproach  by  dying  as 
one  utterly  rejected  and  cast  out  both  by  Israel 
and  the  Gentile  world.  He  did  it  that  He 
might  sanctify  His  people  with  His  own  blood. 
Wherefore,  urges  the  Apostle,  let  us  go  forth 
unto  Him  without  the  camp,  bearing  His  re- 
proach. The  great  lesson  inculcated  by  this 
passage  is  the  necessity  of  our  co-suffering 
with  Christ  in  separation  from  the  world  and 
in  union  with  ilim,  for  if  we  suffer  with  Him 
we  shall  be  also  glorified  together.  What 
then  is  meant  by  sanctification  through  the 
blood  of  Christ  ? 

First,  it  means  our  title  and  right  to  stand 
evermore  before  Cod  as  worshippers  in  His 
spiritual  temple.  Sanctification  is  a  word  which 
belongs  to  tanple  service,  in  the  same  way  that 
justification  is  a  forensic  or  judicial  word  be- 
longing to  a  court  or  judgment  seat 

Secondly,  it  means  that  which  was  effected 
for  us  through  the  offering  of  the  body  of 
Jesus  Christ,  once  for  all. 

Thirdly,  the  time  when  we  are  sanctified  by 


LOOKING   UNTO  JESUS. 


89 


tlie  offering  of  the  body  of  Jesus  Christ,  is 
that  moment  when  we  are  justified  by  faith 
that  is  in  Him.  When  therefore  the  Father 
pronounces  a  sinner  JUST  by  virtue  of  the 
merits  of  Jesus  Christ,  reckoned  to  him,  He 
also,  at  the  same  time,  accepts  him  as  once  and 
for  ever  SANCTIFIED  by  the  oflfering  of  the  same 
Saviour. 

Fourthly,  the  sanctification  of  which  I  speak, 
namely,  that  effected  through  the  offering  of 
Jesus  Christ,  is  one  which  is  absolutely  complete. 
St.  Paul  says  :  "In  which  will  we  have  been 
sanctified,"  implying  that  this  is  not  a  sanctifi- 
cation which  is  in  process  of  completion,  but 
one  which,  inasmuch  as  it  rests  on  the  absolutely 
complete  work  of  Christ,  is  in  itself  for  ever  per- 
fect. So  too  in  Acts,  St.  Paul  calls  believers 
the  "  sanctified  "  (Chap.  xx.  32),  where  the  word 
implies  those  who  have  been  sanctified.  Our 
Lord  also,  in  sending  the  Apostle  to  the  Gen- 
tiles, says  :  "  That  they  may  receive  forgiveness 
of  sins  and  inheritance  among  them  which  are 
sanctified  by  faith  that  is  in  Me "  (Chap.  xxvi. 
18).  Furthermore,  this  sanctification  is  not  only 
perfect,  it  is  FOR  ever.  The  ancient  temple 
service  was  one  unending  series  of  sacrifices  and 
cleansing  processes,    for  no   sooner  was  a  man 


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90 


LIKK  IN   A   LOOK. 


legally  cleansed  tlmn  throiinrji  some  inadvert- 
ence he  again  inctnred  guilt,  and  therefore  again 
needed  ceremonial  cleansing  ;  but  Christ  being 
come,  an  high  priest  of  good  things  to  come, 
not  by  tiie  blood  of  goats  and  calves,  but  by 
His  own  blood, entered  once  into  the  holy  place, 
and  therefore  because  that  precious  blood  was 
all-availing— because  nothing  further  remained 
to  be  done — the  Apostle  states  that  "  by  one 
offering  He  hath  perfected  FOR  kvkk  them  th.it 
arc  sanctified." 

Fifthly,  this  sanctification  by  the  blood  of 
Christ  implies  our  being  MADIC  llOLV  with  that 
holiness  wherewith  Christ's  blood  is  holy.  It 
may  not  be  possible  to  grasp  all  that  this  sancti- 
fication means,  but  we  know  what  it  includes. 
It  incl'des  our  everlasting  SKrARATlON  as  a 
royal  priesthood  and  a  peculiar  people,  from 
the  unholy  dominion  of  the  world,  of  Satan,  and 
of  the  flesh  ;  our  perpetual  CONSI-XRATION  in 
thought,  word,  and  act  to  the  service  of  God 
and  of  His  Christ ;  our  indivisible  and  glorious 
UNION  with  Him  who  is  the  Resurrection  and 
the  Life ;  and  finally  our  ADMISSION  as  those 
made  holy  by  the  sprinkled  blood,  into  that 
spiritual  but  still  real  temple,  in  which  God's 
people  for  ever  celebrate  His  praise. 


LOOKINCt   l)^    O  JLSUS. 


91 


dvcrt- 

bciiiij 
coiru!, 
)iit  by 
place, 
d  was 
iiaincd 
jy  one 
in  that 

aod  of 
h  that 
ly.  It 
sancti- 
icliides, 
M  as  a 
,  from 
in,  and 
ION  in 
)f  God 
[lorious 
>n  and 
)  those 

0  that 

1  God's 


Seeing  therefore  that  in  tht;  will  of  the  Father, 
and  through  the  ofTeriiij>  of  the  body  of  Jesus 
Christ,  we  have  been  once  and  for  ever  sancti- 
fied ;  seein^j  that  by  God's  own  hand  we  have 
been  separated  as  an  holy  nation  and  conse- 
crated as  a  royal  priesthood  to  His  service,  how 
earnestly  should  we  endeavour  to  illustrate  by 
our  daily  walk  and  conversation  the  reality  of 
this  separation  and  the  power  of  this  consecra- 
tion to  God.  Indeed  this  graspin^j  through  the 
Holy  Spirit  the  full  meaning  of  our  complete 
sanctification  by  Christ,  and  then  endeavourinjij 
throujjh  grace  to  walk  conformably  to  our 
calling,  is  one  of  God's  most  blessed  ways  for 
stimulating  our  faith  and  quickening  our  zeal. 
Ignorance  of  God's  will  and  of  Christ's  work 
must  of  necessity  produce  in  us  laxity  in  life ; 
and  therefore  a  deep  and  sanctificil  knowledge 
of  this  most  glorious  truth  is  not  only  iuiportant, 
it  is  vitally  necessary  for  the  devel  pment  and 
perfection  of  the  inner  man,  and  above  all,  for 
enabling  us  to  fulfd  the  high  antl  holy  position 
we  occupy  as  chosen  witnesses  of  God. 

As  there  is  a  completed  sanctification  effected 
for  us  through  the  offering  of  the  body  of  Jesus 
Christ,  once  for  all,  so  also  is  there  di  progressive 
sanctification  wrought  in  us  by  the  operation  of 


!  ■"f 


i:;l 


h       J 


'i 


>^ 


92 


LIFE  IN   A   LOOK. 


the  Holy  Ghost.  In  considering  this  latter,  I 
think  it  all  important  to  note  that  whether  we 
are  considering  justification  or  sanctification, 
God,  in  both  cases,  is  always  the  giver  and  we 
only  the  receivers  of  blessing.  When  a  sinner 
is  rescued  from  death,  the  salvation  by  which 
God  effects  that  deliverance  is  repeatedly  de- 
clared to  be  God's  GIFT  :  "  The  ivages  of  sin  is 
death,  but  the  gift  of  God  is  eternal  life  through 
Jesus  Christ  our  Lord."  This  truth,  however,  is 
most  freely  admitted  by  all  who  know  the 
Gospel  of  God's  grace,  and  therefore  I  need  not 
further  dwell  on  the  subject ;  but  the  point  I 
wish  to  enforce  is  this,  that  when  we  come  to 
consider  the  great  theme  of  our  practical  sancti- 
fication,  we  appear  to  ignore,  or  at  least  forget 
the  fact  that  in  this,  as  well  as  in  justification, 
God  is  the  bountiful  giver  and  we  only  the  re- 
ceivers of  blessing.  The  popular  idea  of  sancti- 
fication  is  RENUNCIATION  ;  in  other  words,  that 
it  consists  in  those  acts  of  renunciation  by  which 
we  GIVE  UP  anything  which  ministers  to  the 
flesh  rather  than  to  godly  edifying.  Now  in 
this  lies  the  mistake,  for  renunciation  is  the 
RESULT,  not  the  principle  of  sanctification.  The 
last  invitation  of  the  Bible  to  weary  sinners  is : 
•*  And  whosoever  will,  let  him  TAKE  the  water 


LOOKING  UNTO  JESUS. 


93 


Oi"  life  freely."  It  is  not  earn  or  purchase,  but 
take  as  a  free  and  royal  gift  from  God.  So,  too, 
in  practical  sanctification,  growth  in  grace  is  in 
proportion  as  we  take  or  appropriate  Christ  to 
ourselves  by  faith,  and  renunciation  is  the  result 
of  this  reception  of  Him  into  our  hearts.  The 
great  principle  in  justification  is,  Believe  and 
live ;  in  sanctification,  Believe  and  grow.  In 
justification  the  sinner  receives  Christ  into  his 
heart  as  his  life ;  in  sanctification  the  saint 
receives  the  same  Saviour  as  the  mighty  Con- 
queror, who  is  able  to  subdue  all  things  to  Him- 
self. Christ  is  the  portion  of  His  people,  and  it 
is  the  exalted  office  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  make 
this  glorious  truth  more  clear  and  convincing  to 
our  minds.  We  see  how  nature  acts.  When 
winter  reigns  in  all  its  icy  power  in  our  land, 
how  can  we  escape  its  rigour.?  Can  we  with 
our  own  voice  and  will  renounce  it }  Shall  we 
break  off  the  crisp  icicles,  cart  away  the  snow, 
and  call  it  summer  ?  No,  for  it  would  be  winter 
still.  We  must  wait  till  the  fiery  sun  comes 
back,  and  then  its  beams  will  warm  the  earth, 
unlock  its  frozen  rivers,  and  make  its  death-like 
fields  green  again.  The  sun — nothing  but  the 
sun — will  make  the  summer,  and  so  is  it  with 
the  soul.     If  the  Christian  has  grown  cold,  and 


94 


LIFE  IN  A  LOOK. 


T^ 


4 


'■.M: 


spiritual  winter  reigns  within  him,  he  needs 
indeed  to  renounce  all  the  besetting  sins  and 
rnholy  influences  which  have  impeded  his 
course  and  checked  the  development  of  grace ; 
but  the  only  way  in  which  this  blessed  result 
can  be  effected  is  by  Christ  afresh  coming  in  as 
the  Sun  of  righteousness  and  making  summer 
in  his  soul.  Not  to  heathen,  dead  in  trespasses 
and  sins,  but  to  lapsed  and  lukewarm  Christians 
did  Christ  utter  these  words  •.  '  Behold,  I  stand 
at  the  door  and  knock  :  if  any  man  hear  My 
voice  and  open  the  door,  I  will  come  in  to  him, 
and  will  sup  with  him,  and  he  with  Me"  (Rev. 
iii.  2o).  These  Laodiceans  were  thus  shown 
the  remedy  for  their  backslidden  state  ;  they 
were  satisfied  with  winter  in  their  hearts,  and 
Christ  v/ished  to  make  summer  there,  therefore 
He  stood  at  the  door  and  knocked.  So  is  it 
with  us  now.  Christ  having  saved  us  by  His 
blood  from  the  judgment  of  offended  law,  is 
now  anxious  to  save  us  to  the  uttermost  from 
the  power  of  indwelling  sin,  from  the  snares  of 
Satan  and  from  the  bondage  of  the  world. 
Therefore  He  stands  and  knocks.  You  pray, 
and  no  doubt  very  earnestly,  that  you  may  be 
delivered  from  self ;  but  self  cannot  cast  out  self. 
We  must  arise  and  open  the  door  and  let  Christ 


':i'^ 


■': 


':.r't| 


m 


needs 

ns  and 
2d  his 
grace ; 
result 
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to  him, 
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t  Christ 


LOOKING  UNTO  JESUS. 


95 


in,  and  He  will  crowd  out  self.  And  here  comes 
in  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  How  earnestly 
do  we  often  pray  that  we  may  be  filled  with  the 
Spirit,  and  when  that  prayer  is  being  answered 
we  realize  it  by  His  lifting  up  Christ  within 
us — Dy  Christ's  increasing^  and  our  decreasing. 
The  Spirit  does  not  speak  of  Himself  but  of 
Christ.  "  He  shall  testify  of  Me,"  wers  the 
words  by  which  our  Lord  declared  to  His  dis- 
ciples the  office  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  there- 
fore we  are  ever  to  understand  that  the  more 
we  have  of  the  Spirit,  the  more  we  realize  that 
Christ  dwells  in  our  hearts  by  faith. 

Three  facts  I  would  have  the  reader  especially 
notice :  Firsts  In  the  economy  of  grace  God 
designed  that  each  one  of  His  children  should 
come  into  all  the  fulness  of  blessing  in  Christ 
Jesus.  As  God  did  not  leave  Israel  after  He 
had  overthrown  Pharaoh  and  his  host  in  the 
Red  Sea,  but  bade  the  nation  rather  press  on 
and  occupy  the  Land  of  Promise,  so  now,  in 
dealing  with  us,  He  does  not  rest  content  with 
merely  saving  us  from  wrath,  but  urges  us  to  go 
up  at  once  and  possess  all  the  riches  of  that 
inheritance  of  glory  we  have  in  Jesus  Christ. 
There  are  no  poor  in  heaven,  and  God  would 
have  none  in  grace.     Christ  said  to  the  wretched 


iW^ 


96 


LIFE  IN  A  LOOK. 


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'si  i 


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;!:!:!! 


and  miserable  in  Laodicea :  "  I  counsel  thee  to 
buy  of  Mc  gold  tried  in  the  fire,  that  thou 
mayest  be  RICH";  and  St.  Paul,  in  comforting 
the  Philippians,  says :  "  My  God  shall  supply 
all  your  need  according  to  His  riches  in  GLORY 
in  Christ  Jesus."  So  also  in  praying  for  the 
Ephesians  he  says :  "  For  this  cause  I  bow  my 
knees  unto  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
that  He  would  grant  you  according  to  the  riches 
of  His  glory  to  be  strengthened  with  might  by 
His  Spirit  in  the  inner  man  ;  that  Christ  may 
dwell  in  your  hearts  by  faith ;  that  ye,  being 
rooted  and  grounded  in  love,  may  be  able  to 
comprehend  with  all  aamts.  what  is  the  breadth, 
and  length,  and  depth,  and  height ;  and  to 
know  the  love  of  Christ,  which  passeth  know- 
ledge, THAT  YE  MIGHT  BE  FILLED  WITH  ALL 
THE  FULNESS  OF  GOD."  Poverty  therefore  in 
grace  is  most  inexcusable  ;  it  not  only  implies 
spiritual  sloth  on  our  part,  but  also  contempt 
for  the  glorious  and  perfect  inheritance  we  have 
in  Christ.  Seconc/fy,  All  the  riches  of  grace  are 
summed  up  in  Christ.  "  He  is  made  unto  us 
wisdom,  and  righteousness,  and  SANCTIFICA- 
TION,  and  redemption  "  i  Cor.  i.  3 1),  "  for  in  Him 
dwelleth  all  the  fulness  of  the  Godhead  bodily." 
And   "we  are   complete  in   Him  which   is  the 


:t 


LOOKING  UNTO  JESUS. 


97 


Head  of  all  principality  and  power."  Thirdly, 
Begin  the  day  by  giving  thanks  to  God,  which 
always  causeth  us  to  triumph  in  Christ  Jesus. 
Let  the  first  word  your  voice  utters  be  thanks- 
giving— thanksgiving  for  future  but  still  certain 
victory.  Jacob  feared  his  brother  Esau,  but  his 
real  wrestle  was  with  the  angel  of  the  covenant. 
The  battle  was  fought  and  the  victory  gained 
before  he  even  saw  his  brother ;  and  so  with  us 
in  the  spiritual  contest,  faith  gains  the  victory 
before  the  battle  of  the  day  is  fought.  Before 
us  is  the  world  which  lieth  in  wickedness ; 
the  devil  going  about  as  a  roaring  lion  ;  and 
our  own  hearts,  deceitful  above  all  things  and 
desperately  wicked.  These  three,  with  the 
principalities  and  powers  which  come  and  go  at 
the  bidding  of  Satan,  we  have  to  meet.  There 
is  no  possible  escape,  and  therefore  battle  with 
tliem  we  must ;  the  only  question  being,  when 
the  day  with  its  fighting  is  over,  shall  we  be 
lamenting  a  defeat  suffered,  or  rej'oicing  in  a 
victory  gained  }  Surely  we  need  not  wait  long 
for  an  answer ;  greater  is  He  who  is  for  us  than 
all  who  are  against  us,  and  because  this  is  the 
case,  the  victory  may  be  fully  decided  before 
we,  so  to  speak,  meet  our  enemies  face  to  face. 
Our  greatest  trouble  is  always  with  our  own  evil 

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98 


LIFE  IN  A  LOOK. 


hearty  for  when  we  go  to  God  in  prayer,  we  too 
often  stagger  through  unbelief,  and  fail  to  grasp 
the  victory  of  faith.  And  here  I  wish  to  press 
upon  the  reader  that  the  real  contest  is  with 
unbelief ;  for  when  in  prayer  we  have  gained 
strength  simply  to  trust  Christ,  then  are  wc 
more  than  conquerors — then  can  we  rest  in 
peace.  Now  what  is  this  trusting }  It  is  be- 
lieving that  our  prayer  is  heard ;  that  Christ 
ivill  dwell  in  our  hearts ;  that  His  strength  will 
be  made  perfect  in  our  weakness,  and  that  He 
Himself  will  subdue  our  enemies  on  every  side. 
The  prophet  says :  "  Thou  wilt  keep  him  in 
perfect  peace  whose  mind  is  stayed  on  Thee, 
because  he  TRUSTETH  on  Thee."  And  the 
child  of  God  who  has  learned  wholly  to  trust 
Christ,  will  not  only  grow  like  a  cedar  in  Le- 
banon, but  will  rest  in  perfect  peace  when  the 
whole  world  rocks  beneath  his  feet.  If  any 
should  ask  how  we  are  to  obtain  this  faith  }  I 
answer,  first,  by  a  reverent  and  prayerful  study 
of  God's  holy  word  ;  and  secondly,  by  earnest 
continuance  in  prayer.  The  study  of  the  Bible 
is  absolutely  necessary  for  our  spiritual  growth. 
It  is  the  witness  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  the  truth 
as  it  is  in  Jesus,  and  therefore  as  one  has  well 
said  :  "  To  desire  to  know  more  than  is  written 


■   :!l. 


* 


LOOKING  UNTO  JESUS. 


99 


is  presumption ;  to  be  contented  with  knowing 
less,  is  conwcmptuous ;  it  is  being  satisfied  that 
darkness  should  occupy  a  place  only  to  be  filled 
by  light." 

The  following  are  three  conditions  of  success- 
ful prayer :  (i)  Abiding  in  Christ,  and  His  word 
abiding  in  us  (John  xv.  7).  (2)  The  work  of 
the  two  Intercessors,  the  Holy  Ghost  here  on 
earth  interceding  in  us,  and  Christ  the  Advo- 
cate on  high  interceding  for  us  (Rom.  viii.  26 ; 
John  xiv.  14).  (3)  Faith  :  "  What  things  soever 
ye  desire,  when  ye  pray,  BELIEVE  that  ye 
receive  them,  and  YE  shall  have  them" 
(Mark  xi.  24). 

The  Holy  Spirit  is  described  in  Scripture  as 
the  Sealy  the  Unction,  and  the  Pledge.  He  who 
seals  us  is  God.  St.  Paul  says :  "  Now  He 
which  stablisheth  us  with  you  in  Christ,  and 
hath  anointed  us,  is  God  ;  who  hath  also  sealed 
us,  and  given  the  earnest  of  the  Spirit  in  our 
hearts  "  (2  Cor.  i.  22).  The  Spirit  is  therefore 
not  the  Sealer,  but  the  Seal.  He  is  God's  Seal, 
and  with  Him  the  Father  sealed  His  own  Son, 
as  we  read  in  John,  "For  Him  hath  God  the 
Father  sealed,"  that  is,  by  the  descent  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  on  the  day  of  His  baptism.  As 
Christ  Himself  the  Head  was  sealed,  so  are  His 


w 


i 


lOO 


LIFE  IN   A  LOOK. 


people.  And,  be  it  observed,  it  is  only  in  Him 
that  they  are  so  sealed,  because  it  is  only  when 
Divine  love  has  brought  us  out  of  the  place  of 
wrath  and  put  us  in  the  place  of  abiding  recon- 
ciliation, even  in  Christ,  that  the  Holy  Spirit  can 
come  down  into  our  h.-^arts  as  the  heavenly  seal 
of  the  Eternal  Father.  Therefore  we  read  as 
follows :  "  In  whom  also  after  that  ye  believed 
ye  were  sealed  with  that  Holy  Spirit  of  promise, 
which  is  the  earnest  of  our  inheritance"  (Eph.  i. 
13).  Now,  the  verb  "  to  seal  "  has  in  Scripture 
three  significations:  ist,  to  ratify  or  confirm; 
2nd,  to  close  up  from  sight,  to  keep  in  reserva- 
tion ;  3rd,  to  complete.  God  ratifies  and  con- 
firms the  everlasting  salvation  of  those  who  have 
laid  hold  on  His  covenant  of  peace  by  sending 
to  them  the  seal  of  His  Spirit.  As  a  man 
ratifies  and  confirms  a  document  by  affixing  his 
seal,  so  when  a  sinner,  on  the  credibility  of 
God's  word,  has  accepted  Christ  as  the  eternal 
ransom  of  his  soul,  God  ratifies  His  word  by 
sealing  that  man  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  the 
Spirit  henceforth  dwells  in  him  as  the  seal  of 
the  living  God. 

To  seal  also  means  "to  close  up  from  sight/* 
to  keep  privately  in  reservation.  Now  God's 
people  are  His  secret  ones.     We  are  told  "the 


LOOKING  UNTO  JESUS. 


lOF 


foundation  of  God  standeth  sure,  having  this 
seal ;  the  Lord  knowcth  them  that  are  His."  If 
God  knoweth  the  number  of  the  L^ars,  and 
calleth  them  all  by  name,  how  rnu  h  more 
intimately  knows  He  His  saints  who  have  been 
bought  by  the  blood  of  His  Son  ?  He  knows 
them,  and  has  sealed  them,  and  in  His  own  time 
He  v'ill  bring  them  forth  before  the  assembled 
world  and  prove  that  they  are  His.  Lastly,  the 
word  means  to  complete.  God's  people  are 
sealed  because  they  are  now,  and  shall  be  for  all 
eternity,  absolutely  complete  in  Christ.  And 
though  indeed  they  are  yet  troubled  with  sin 
and  are  yet  living  in  the  body  of  humiliation, 
God's  purposes  will  ripen  fast,  and  ere  long  they 
shall  realize  their  completeness  when  they  reign 
with  Him  in  light.  Believers,  St.  Paul  says, 
were  sealed  unto  THE  DAY  OF  REDEMPTION 
^Eph.  iv.  30),  that  is,  according  to  the  second 
meaning  given  above,  they  are  kept  to  the  day 
of  glorious  completion,  and  this  fact  is  strikingly 
brought  out  in  the  Revelation,  where  both  in 
the  7th  and  9th  chapters  we  read  that  no  tem- 
pest of  wrath  is  allowed  to  sweep  over  the  earth 
until  God's  people,  being  publicly  sealed,  are 
thereby  exempted  from  its  power. 

The  Holy  Spirit  is  also  the  Divine  Unction 


I02 


LIFE  IN   A  LOOK. 


with  which  every  believer  is  anointed.  "  Now 
He  which  stablishetli  us  with  you  in  Christ,  and 
hath  anointed  us,  is  God."  This  anointing  is  the 
indwelling  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  the  hearts  of 
believers,  and  is  called  the  "  unction  from  the 
Holy  One."  St.  John  tells  us  that  this  unction 
"  abides  "  in  us,  and  that  by  it  we  "  know  all 
things,"  for  that  "  it  teacheth  us  all  things,  and 
is  truth,  and  is  no  lie  "  (i  John  ii.  20,  27).  All 
believers  have  this  anointing,  "  for  if  any  man 
have  not  the  Spirit  of  Christ  he  is  none  of  His." 
All  believers  therefore  have  the  jyiiits  of  the 
Spirit,  which  are  love,  joy,  peace,  long-suffering, 
gentleness,  goodness,  taith,  meekness,  temper- 
ance ;  but  the  measure  of  these  fruits  will  vary 
according  to  their  faithfulness,  some  bearing 
only  thirty,  while  others  produce  sixty  and  even 
an  hu::-"-M  fold.  Now  this  anointing  is  not 
for  spiritual  power  and  edification  only,  it  is  to 
office  also.  As  under  the  Levitical  economy 
men  were  anointed  to  be  priests  and  kings,  so 
now  believers  are  anointed  to  be  "  a  holy  priest- 
hood, to  offer  up  spiritual  sacrifices,  accept- 
able to  God  by  Jesus  Christ."  They  are  also 
anointed  to  be  kings^  hence  Peter  calh  the  whole 
Church  "  a  royal  priesthood,"  and  St.  John  says 
in  his  ascription   of  glory :  "  Unto   Him   who 


LOOKING  UNTO  JESUS. 


103 


says 
who 


loved  us,  and  washed  us  from  our  sins  in  His 
own  blood,  and  hath  made  us  kings  and  priests 
unto  God  and  His  Father ;  to  Him  be  glory 
and  dominion  for  ever  and  ever.     Amen." 

The  Holy  Spirit  is  also  the  Pledge.  By  the 
word  in  the  original  is  meant  the  "  earnest  *'  of 
what  we  are  hereafter  to  receive.  St.  Paul  says  : 
'*  Who  hath  also  sealed  us,  and  given  the  earnest 
of  the  Spirit  in  our  hearts  "  (2  Cor.  i.  22).  In 
Ephesians,  after  saying  that  we  were  sealed  by 
the  Holy  Spirit  of  promise,  he  adds  :  "  which  is 
the  earnest  of  our  inheritance  until  the  redemp- 
tion of  the  purchased  possession."  By  which 
he  means  that  the  Holy  Spirit  is  in  us  as  a 
foretaste  of  what  we  are  hereafter  to  receive  in 
the  fulness  of  glory.  So  also  the  same  idea  is 
found  in  Romans :  "  Not  only  they,  but  our- 
selves also,  which  have  the  first  fruit,  of  the 
Spirit,  even  we  ourselves  groan  within  ourselves, 
waiting  for  the  adoption,  to  wit,  the  redemption 
of  our  body  "  (Chap.  viii.  23).  I  might  indeed 
speak  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  many  of  His  other 
offices,  but  I  only  mention  these  in  order  to 
show  the  reader  how  mighty  is  the  work  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  in  the  growth  of  the  believer. 

Finally,    I    only  wish  to   add   that    progress 
is  the  great  law   in   God's   kingdom  of  grace. 


I04 


LIFE  IN   A  LOOK. 


i% 


Nicodemus  when  he  came  to  Christ  was  surely 
but  a  bruised  reed  and  smoking  flax.  There 
was  indeed  no  strength  in  him ;  but  the  day 
came  when  this  same  man  openly  avowed  his 
love  for  Christ,  and  confessed  Him,  when  Israel 
had  crucified,  and  His  own  disciples  had  de- 
serted Him.  Peter  in  his  weakness  trembled  at 
the  voice  of  a  maid,  but  the  day  came  when  he 
was  willing  to  stretch  out  his  hands  and  die  a 
martyr  for  the  faith.  Paul  too  grew  in  grace, 
and  this  is  apparent  especially  in  the  deepening 
of  his  humility,  for,  as  Vaughan  has  pointed  out, 
we  find  the  Apostle  in  A.D.  58  writing  to  the 
Corinthians  that  he  "  was  not  meet  to  be  called 
an  Apostle^  In  62  he  tells  the  Ephesians,  he  is 
"  less  than  the  least  of  all  sainis,"  and  finally,  a 
year  before  his  death,  we  find  him  describing 
himself  to  Timothy  as  the  "chief  of  sinners." 
This  was  real  progress,  and  such  as  we  all  ought 
to  make.  If,  however,  we  do  desire  to  grow  in 
grace,  like  those  I  have  just  mentioned,  let  us 
all  remember  that  the  one  great  principle  of 
spiritual  progression  is,  ever  to  keep  the  eye 
fixed  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  the  Author 
and  Finisher  of  our  faith. 


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